More on SU(3) Lattice Gauge Theory in the Fundamental--Adjoint Plane

We present further evidence for the bulk nature of the phase transition line in the fundamental--adjoint action plane of SU(3) lattice gauge theory. Computing the string tension and some glueball masses along the thermal phase transition line of finite temperature systems with $N_t=4$, which was found to join onto the bulk transition line at its endpoint, we find that the ratio $\sqrt{\sigma} / T_c$ remains approximately constant. However, the mass of the $0^{++}$ glueball decreases as the endpoint of the bulk transition line is approached, while the other glueball masses appear unchanged. This is consistent with the notion that the bulk transition line ends in a critical endpoint with the continuum limit there being a $\phi^4$ theory with a diverging correlation length only in the $0^{++}$ channel.Comment: 4 pages, uuencoded, gziped postscript file. To appear in the Proceedings of LATTICE'95, Melbourne, Australia, 11-15 July, 199

The strange quark condensate in the nucleon in 2+1 flavor QCD

We calculate the "strange quark content of the nucleon", , which is important for interpreting the results of some dark matter detection experiments. The method is to evaluate quark-line disconnected correlations on the MILC lattice ensembles, which include the effects of dynamical strange quarks. After continuum and chiral extrapolations, the result is <N |s s_bar |N> = 0.69 +- 0.07(statistical) +- 0.09(systematic), in the modified minimal subtraction scheme (2 GeV), or for the renormalization scheme invariant form, m_s partial{M_N}/partial{m_s} = 59(6)(8) MeV.Comment: Added figures and references, especially for fit range choice. Other changes for clarity. Version to appear in publicatio

The Spatial String Tension in the Deconfined Phase of the (3+1)-Dimensional SU(2) Gauge Theory

We present results of a detailed investigation of the temperature dependence of the spatial string tension in SU(2) gauge theory. We show, for the first time, that the spatial string tension is scaling on the lattice and thus is non-vanishing in the continuum limit. It is temperature independent below Tc and rises rapidly above. For temperatures larger than 2Tc we find a scaling behaviour consistent with sigma_s(T) = 0.136(11) g^4(T) T^2, where g(T) is the 2-loop running coupling constant with a scale parameter determined as Lambda_T = 0.076(13) Tc.Comment: 8 pages (Latex, shell archive, 3 PostScript figures), HLRZ-93-43, BI-TP 93/30, FSU-SCRI-93-76, WUB 93-2

Three-Dimensional SU(3) gauge theory and the Spatial String Tension of the (3+1)-Dimensional Finite Temperature SU(3) Gauge Theory

We establish a close relation between the spatial string tension of the (3+1)-dimensional $SU(3)$ gauge theory at finite temperature ($\sigma_s$) and the string tension of the 3-dimensional $SU(3)$ gauge theory ($\sigma_3$) which is similar to what has been found previously for $SU(2)$. We obtain $\sqrt{\sigma_3} = (0.554 \pm 0.004) g_3^2$ and $\sqrt{\sigma_s} = (0.586 \pm 0.045)g^2(T) T$, respectively. For temperatures larger than twice the critical temperature results are consistent with a temperature dependent coupling running according to the two-loop $\beta$-function with $\Lambda_T = 0.118(36)T_c$.Comment: 11 pages (4 figures

Field Strength Formulation of SU(2) Yang-Mills Theory in the Maximal Abelian Gauge: Perturbation Theory

We present a reformulation of SU(2) Yang-Mills theory in the maximal Abelian gauge, where the non-Abelian gauge field components are exactly integrated out at the expense of a new Abelian tensor field. The latter can be treated in a semiclassical approximation and the corresponding saddle point equation is derived. Besides the non-trivial solutions, which are presumably related to non-perturbative interactions for the Abelian gauge field, the equation of motion for the tensor fields allows for a trivial solution as well. We show that the semiclassical expansion around this trivial solution is equivalent to the standard perturbation theory. In particular, we calculate the one-loop $\beta$-function for the running coupling constant in this approach and reproduce the standard result.Comment: 29 pages LaTeX, 6 postscript figures. Version to be published in Int. J. Mod. Phys.

Center vortex model for the infrared sector of Yang-Mills theory

A model for the infrared sector of SU(2) Yang-Mills theory, based on magnetic vortices represented by (closed) random surfaces, is presented. The model quantitatively describes both confinement (including the finite-temperature transition to a deconfined phase) and the topological susceptibility of the Yang-Mills ensemble. A first (quenched) study of the spectrum of the Dirac operator furthermore yields a behavior for the chiral condensate which is compatible with results obtained in lattice gauge theory.Comment: Lattice2001(confinement) proceedings, 3 pages, 3 ps figure