Perturbative Computation of the Gluonic Effective Action via Polyaokov's World-Line Path Integral

The Polyakov world-line path integral describing the propagation of gluon field quanta is constructed by employing the background gauge fixing method and is subsequently applied to analytically compute the divergent terms of the one (gluonic) loop effective action to fourth order in perturbation theory. The merits of the proposed approach is that, to a given order, it reduces to performing two integrations, one over a set of Grassmann and one over a set of Feynman-type parameters through which one manages to accomodate all Feynman diagrams entering the computation at once.Comment: 21 page

Worldline Casting of the Stochastic Vacuum Model and Non-Perturbative Properties of QCD: General Formalism and Applications

The Stochastic Vacuum Model for QCD, proposed by Dosch and Simonov, is fused with a Worldline casting of the underlying theory, i.e. QCD. Important, non-perturbative features of the model are studied. In particular, contributions associated with the spin-field interaction are calculated and both the validity of the loop equations and of the Bianchi identity are explicitly demonstrated. As an application, a simulated meson-meson scattering problem is studied in the Regge kinematical regime. The process is modeled in terms of the "helicoidal" Wilson contour along the lines introduced by Janik and Peschanski in a related study based on a AdS/CFT-type approach. Working strictly in the framework of the Stochastic Vacuum Model and in a semiclassical approximation scheme the Regge behavior for the Scattering amplitude is demonstrated. Going beyond this approximation, the contribution resulting from boundary fluctuation of the Wilson loop contour is also estimated.Comment: 37 pages, 1 figure. Final version to appear in Phys.Rev.

Zig Zag symmetry in AdS/CFT duality

The validity of the Bianchi identity, which is intimately connected with the zig zag symmetry, is established, for piecewise continuous contours, in the context of Polakov's gauge field-string connection in the large 'tHooft coupling limit, according to which the chromoelectric `string' propagates in five dimensions with its ends attached on a Wilson loop in four dimensions. An explicit check in the wavy line approximation is presented.Comment: 24 pages version to appear in EPJ

Worldline Approach to Forward and Fixed Angle fermion-fermion Scattering in Yang-Mills Theories at High Energies

Worldline techniques are employed to study the general behaviour of the fermion-fermion collision amplitude at very high energies in a non-abelian gauge field theory for the forward and fixed angle scattering cases. A central objective of this work is to demonstrate the simplicity by which the worldline methodology isolates that sector of the full theory which carries the soft physics, relevant to each process. Anomalous dimensions pertaining to a given soft sector are identified and subseuently used to facilitate the renormalization group running of the respective four point functions. Gluon reggeization is achieved for forward, while Sudakov suppression is established for fixed angle scattering.Comment: 28 pages, 10 figures in three file

Gauge (non-)invariant Green functions of Dirac fermions coupled to gauge fields

We develop a unified approach to both infrared and ultraviolet asymptotics of the fermion Green functions in the condensed matter systems that allow for an effective description in the framework of the Quantum Electrodynamics. By applying a path integral representation to the previously suggested form of the physical electron propagator we demonstrate that in the massless case this gauge invariant function features a "stronger-than-a-pole" branch-cut singularity instead of the conjectured Luttinger-like behavior. The obtained results alert one to the possibility that construction of physically relevant amplitudes in the effective gauge theories might prove more complex than previously thought

Spin Factor in Path Integral Representation for Dirac Propagator in External Fields

We study the spin factor problem both in $3+1$ and $2+1$ dimensions which are essentially different for spin factor construction. Doing all Grassmann integrations in the corresponding path integral representations for Dirac propagator we get representations with spin factor in arbitrary external field. Thus, the propagator appears to be presented by means of bosonic path integral only. In $3+1$ dimensions we present a simple derivation of spin factor avoiding some unnecessary steps in the original brief letter (Gitman, Shvartsman, Phys. Lett. {\bf B318} (1993) 122) which themselves need some additional justification. In this way the meaning of the surprising possibility of complete integration over Grassmann variables gets clear. In $2+1$ dimensions the derivation of the spin factor is completely original. Then we use the representations with spin factor for calculations of the propagator in some configurations of external fields. Namely, in constant uniform electromagnetic field and in its combination with a plane wave field.Comment: 34 pages, LaTe

Two different quasiparticle scattering rates in vortex line liquid phase of layered d-wave superconductors

We carry out a quantum mechanical analysis of the behavior of nodal quasiparticles in the vortex line liquid phase of planar d-wave superconductors. Applying a novel path integral technique we calculate a number of experimentally relevant observables and demonstrate that in the low-field regime the quasiparticle scattering rates deduced from photoemission and thermal transport data can be markedly different from that extracted from tunneling, specific heat, superfluid stiffness or spin-lattice relaxation time.Comment: Latex, 4 pages, no figure