Quantum chaos in QCD at finite temperature

We study complete eigenvalue spectra of the staggered Dirac matrix in quenched QCD on a $6^3\times 4$ lattice. In particular, we investigate the nearest-neighbor spacing distribution $P(s)$ for various values of $\beta$ both in the confinement and deconfinement phase. In both phases except far into the deconfinement region, the data agree with the Wigner surmise of random matrix theory which is indicative of quantum chaos. No signs of a transition to Poisson regularity are found, and the reasons for this result are discussed.Comment: 3 pages, 6 figures (included), poster presented by R. Pullirsch at "Lattice 97", to appear in the proceeding

Quantum chaos and QCD at finite chemical potential

We investigate the distribution of the spacings of adjacent eigenvalues of the lattice Dirac operator. At zero chemical potential $\mu$, the nearest-neighbor spacing distribution $P(s)$ follows the Wigner surmise of random matrix theory both in the confinement and in the deconfinement phase. This is indicative of quantum chaos. At nonzero chemical potential, the eigenvalues of the Dirac operator become complex. We discuss how $P(s)$ can be defined in the complex plane. Numerical results from an SU(3) simulation with staggered fermions are compared with predictions from non-hermitian random matrix theory, and agreement with the Ginibre ensemble is found for $\mu\approx 0.7$.Comment: LATTICE98(hightemp), 3 pages, 10 figure

Vacancy-Induced Low-Energy Density of States in the Kitaev Spin Liquid

The Kitaev honeycomb model has attracted significant attention due to its exactly solvable spin-liquid ground state with fractionalized Majorana excitations and its possible materialization in magnetic Mott insulators with strong spin-orbit couplings. Recently, the 5d-electron compound H3LiIr2O6 has shown to be a strong candidate for Kitaev physics considering the absence of any signs of a long-range ordered magnetic state. In this work, we demonstrate that a finite density of random vacancies in the Kitaev model gives rise to a striking pileup of low-energy Majorana eigenmodes and reproduces the apparent power-law upturn in the specific heat measurements of H3LiIr2O6. Physically, the vacancies can originate from various sources such as missing magnetic moments or the presence of nonmagnetic impurities (true vacancies), or from local weak couplings of magnetic moments due to strong but rare bond randomness (quasivacancies). We show numerically that the vacancy effect is readily detectable even at low vacancy concentrations and that it is not very sensitive either to the nature of vacancies or to different flux backgrounds. We also study the response of the site-diluted Kitaev spin liquid to the three-spin interaction term, which breaks time-reversal symmetry and imitates an external magnetic field. We propose a field-induced flux-sector transition where the ground state becomes flux-free for larger fields, resulting in a clear suppression of the low-temperature specific heat. Finally, we discuss the effect of dangling Majorana fermions in the case of true vacancies and show that their coupling to an applied magnetic field via the Zeeman interaction can also account for the scaling behavior in the high-field limit observed in H3LiIr2O6

Non-Hermitian Random Matrix Theory and Lattice QCD with Chemical Potential

In quantum chromodynamics (QCD) at nonzero chemical potential, the eigenvalues of the Dirac operator are scattered in the complex plane. Can the fluctuation properties of the Dirac spectrum be described by universal predictions of non-Hermitian random matrix theory? We introduce an unfolding procedure for complex eigenvalues and apply it to data from lattice QCD at finite chemical potential $\mu$ to construct the nearest-neighbor spacing distribution of adjacent eigenvalues in the complex plane. For intermediate values of $\mu$, we find agreement with predictions of the Ginibre ensemble of random matrix theory, both in the confinement and in the deconfinement phase.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Self-consistent parametrization of the two-flavor isotropic color-superconducting ground state

Lack of Lorentz invariance of QCD at finite quark chemical potential in general implies the need of Lorentz non-invariant condensates for the self-consistent description of the color-superconducting ground state. Moreover, the spontaneous breakdown of color SU(3) in this state naturally leads to the existence of SU(3) non-invariant non-superconducting expectation values. We illustrate these observations by analyzing the properties of an effective 2-flavor Nambu-Jona-Lasinio type Lagrangian and discuss the possibility of color-superconducting states with effectively gapless fermionic excitations. It turns out that the effect of condensates so far neglected can yield new interesting phenomena.Comment: 16 pages, 3 figure

Imaginary chemical potential and finite fermion density on the lattice

Standard lattice fermion algorithms run into the well-known sign problem at real chemical potential. In this paper we investigate the possibility of using imaginary chemical potential, and argue that it has advantages over other methods, particularly for probing the physics at finite temperature as well as density. As a feasibility study, we present numerical results for the partition function of the two-dimensional Hubbard model with imaginary chemical potential. We also note that systems with a net imbalance of isospin may be simulated using a real chemical potential that couples to I_3 without suffering from the sign problem.Comment: 9 pages, LaTe

Quantum Chaos in Compact Lattice QED

Complete eigenvalue spectra of the staggered Dirac operator in quenched $4d$ compact QED are studied on $8^3 \times 4$ and $8^3 \times 6$ lattices. We investigate the behavior of the nearest-neighbor spacing distribution $P(s)$ as a measure of the fluctuation properties of the eigenvalues in the strong coupling and the Coulomb phase. In both phases we find agreement with the Wigner surmise of the unitary ensemble of random-matrix theory indicating quantum chaos. Combining this with previous results on QCD, we conjecture that quite generally the non-linear couplings of quantum field theories lead to a chaotic behavior of the eigenvalues of the Dirac operator.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure

Impossibility of spontaneously breaking local symmetries and the sign problem

Elitzur's theorem stating the impossibility of spontaneous breaking of local symmetries in a gauge theory is reexamined. The existing proofs of this theorem rely on gauge invariance as well as positivity of the weight in the Euclidean partition function. We examine the validity of Elitzur's theorem in gauge theories for which the Euclidean measure of the partition function is not positive definite. We find that Elitzur's theorem does not follow from gauge invariance alone. We formulate a general criterion under which spontaneous breaking of local symmetries in a gauge theory is excluded. Finally we illustrate the results in an exactly solvable two dimensional abelian gauge theory.Comment: Latex 6 page

On the Phase Diagram of QCD

We analyze the phase diagram of QCD with two massless quark flavors in the space of temperature, T, and chemical potential of the baryon charge, mu, using available experimental knowledge of QCD, insights gained from various models, as well as general and model independent arguments including continuity, universality, and thermodynamic relations. A random matrix model is used to describe the chiral symmetry restoration phase transition at finite T and mu. In agreement with general arguments, this model predicts a tricritical point in the T mu plane. Certain critical properties at such a point are universal and can be relevant to heavy ion collision experiments.Comment: 21 pages, version to appear in Phys. Rev. D (2 references added

Quantum Chaos in the Yang-Mills-Higgs System at Finite Temperature

The quantum chaos in the finite-temperature Yang-Mills-Higgs system is studied. The energy spectrum of a spatially homogeneous SU(2) Yang-Mills-Higgs is calculated within thermofield dynamics. Level statistics of the spectra is studied by plotting nearest-level spacing distribution histograms. It is found that finite temperature effects lead to a strengthening of chaotic effects, i.e. spectrum which has Poissonian distribution at zero temperature has Gaussian distribution at finite-temperature.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, Revte