Quark disconnected diagrams in chiral perturbation theory

We show how quark-disconnected and quark-connected contributions to hadronic n-point functions can be written as independent correlators for which one can derive expressions in partially quenched chiral effective theory. As an example we apply the idea to the case of the hadronic vacuum polarisation. In particular, we consider the cases of the Nf = 2 theory without and with a partially quenched strange quark and also the Nf = 2 + 1 theory. In the latter two cases a parameter-free prediction for the disconnected contribution at NLO in the effective theory is given. Finally we show how twisted boundary conditions can then be used in lattice QCD to improve the q^2 resolution in the connected contributions even when flavour singlet operators are considered.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figures; results unchanged; typos corrected, references added and discussion extended; accepted for publication in JHE

Glueball masses from ratios of path integrals

By generalizing our previous work on the parity symmetry, the partition function of a Yang-Mills theory is decomposed into a sum of path integrals each giving the contribution from multiplets of states with fixed quantum numbers associated to parity, charge conjugation, translations, rotations and central conjugations. Ratios of path integrals and correlation functions can then be computed with a multi-level Monte Carlo integration scheme whose numerical cost, at a fixed statistical precision and at asymptotically large times, increases power-like with the time extent of the lattice. The strategy is implemented for the SU(3) Yang-Mills theory, and a full-fledged computation of the mass and multiplicity of the lightest glueball with vacuum quantum numbers is carried out at two values of the lattice spacing (0.17 and 0.12 fm).Comment: Poster contribution to Lattice 2011. 7 pages, 2 tables, 2 figure

A non-perturbative study of massive gauge theories

We consider a non-perturbative formulation of an SU(2) massive gauge theory on a space-time lattice, which is also a discretised gauged non-linear chiral model. The lattice model is shown to have an exactly conserved global SU(2) symmetry. If a scaling region for the lattice model exists and the lightest degrees of freedom are spin one vector particles with the same quantum numbers as the conserved current, we argue that the most general effective theory describing their low-energy dynamics must be a massive gauge theory. We present results of a exploratory numerical simulation of the model and find indications for the presence of a scaling region where both a triplet vector and a scalar remain light.Comment: 1+22 pages, 8 figures, 1 table and 1 appendix. Few typos corrected and references added. Conclusions unchanged. Version accepted for publication in JHE

Standard Model parameters and heavy quarks on the lattice

I review recent progresses in heavy quarks physics on the lattice. I focus on decay constants and form factors relevant for the extraction of CKM matrix elements from experimental data. B-\bar{B} mixing is also discussed. In the last part of the paper I describe phenomenological applications of Heavy Quark Effective Theory (HQET) on the lattice, presenting in some detail the recent non-perturbative determination of the b-quark mass including O(1/m_b) corrections

On cutoff effects in lattice QCD from short to long distances

We discuss kinematical enhancements of cutoff effects at short and intermediate distances. Starting from a pedagogical example with periodic boundary conditions, we switch to the case of the Schroedinger Functional, where the theoretical analysis is checked by precise numerical data with Nf=2 dynamical O(a)-improved Wilson quarks. Finally we present an improved determination of the renormalization of the axial current in that theory.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures and 2 tables. References modifie