Hadron masses and decay constants in quenched QCD

We present results for the mass spectrum and decay constants using non-perturbatively O(a) improved Wilson fermions. Three values of $\beta$ and 30 different quark masses are used to obtain the chiral and continuum limits. Special emphasis will be given to the question of taking the chiral limit and the existence of non-analytic behavior predicted by quenched chiral perturbation theory.Comment: LATTICE99(spectrum), 3 pages, 6 figure

Full QCD light hadron spectrum from the CP-PACS

We report on an on-going two-flavor full QCD study on CP-PACS using an RG-improved gauge action and a tadpole-improved SW quark action. Runs are made for three lattice spacings $a^{-1}\approx 0.9$, 1.3, and 2.5 GeV on $12^3\times24$, $16^3\times32$, and $24^3\times48$ lattices. Four sea quark masses having $m_{\rm PS}/m_{\rm V} \approx 0.8$--0.6 are simulated, for each of which hadron masses are evaluated for valence quark masses corresponding to $m_{\rm PS}/m_{\rm V} \approx 0.8$--0.5. Results for hadron and light quark masses are presented and compared with those obtained in quenched QCD.Comment: LATTICE98(spectrum), 3 pages, 3 figure

The static quark potential in full QCD

We report results on the static quark potential in two-flavor full QCD. The calculation is performed for three values of lattice spacing $a^{-1}\approx 0.9, 1.3$ and 2.5 GeV on $12^3{\times}24, 16^3{\times}32$ and $24^3{\times}48$ lattices respectively, at sea quark masses corresponding to $m_\pi/m_\rho \approx 0.8-0.6$. An RG-improved gauge action and a tadpole-improved SW clover quark action are employed. We discuss scaling of $m_{\rho}/\sqrt{\sigma}$ and effects of dynamical quarks on the potential.Comment: LATTICE98(spectrum), 3 pages, 4 figure

Boundary Limitation of Wavenumbers in Taylor-Vortex Flow

We report experimental results for a boundary-mediated wavenumber-adjustment mechanism and for a boundary-limited wavenumber-band of Taylor-vortex flow (TVF). The system consists of fluid contained between two concentric cylinders with the inner one rotating at an angular frequency $\Omega$. As observed previously, the Eckhaus instability (a bulk instability) is observed and limits the stable wavenumber band when the system is terminated axially by two rigid, non-rotating plates. The band width is then of order $\epsilon^{1/2}$ at small $\epsilon$ ($\epsilon \equiv \Omega/\Omega_c - 1$) and agrees well with calculations based on the equations of motion over a wide $\epsilon$-range. When the cylinder axis is vertical and the upper liquid surface is free (i.e. an air-liquid interface), vortices can be generated or expelled at the free surface because there the phase of the structure is only weakly pinned. The band of wavenumbers over which Taylor-vortex flow exists is then more narrow than the stable band limited by the Eckhaus instability. At small $\epsilon$ the boundary-mediated band-width is linear in $\epsilon$. These results are qualitatively consistent with theoretical predictions, but to our knowledge a quantitative calculation for TVF with a free surface does not exist.Comment: 8 pages incl. 9 eps figures bitmap version of Fig

Order a improved renormalization constants

We present non-perturbative results for the constants needed for on-shell $O(a)$ improvement of bilinear operators composed of Wilson fermions. We work at $\beta=6.0$ and 6.2 in the quenched approximation. The calculation is done by imposing axial and vector Ward identities on correlators similar to those used in standard hadron mass calculations. A crucial feature of the calculation is the use of non-degenerate quarks. We also obtain results for the constants needed for off-shell $O(a)$ improvement of bilinears, and for the scale and scheme independent renormalization constants, (Z_A), (Z_V) and (Z_S/Z_P). Several of the constants are determined using a variety of different Ward identities, and we compare their relative efficacies. In this way, we find a method for calculating $c_V$ that gives smaller errors than that used previously. Wherever possible, we compare our results with those of the ALPHA collaboration (who use the Schr\"odinger functional) and with 1-loop tadpole-improved perturbation theory.Comment: 48 pages. Modified "axis" source for figures also included. Typos corrected (version published in Phys. Rev. D

Topological Lattice Actions

We consider lattice field theories with topological actions, which are invariant against small deformations of the fields. Some of these actions have infinite barriers separating different topological sectors. Topological actions do not have the correct classical continuum limit and they cannot be treated using perturbation theory, but they still yield the correct quantum continuum limit. To show this, we present analytic studies of the 1-d O(2) and O(3) model, as well as Monte Carlo simulations of the 2-d O(3) model using topological lattice actions. Some topological actions obey and others violate a lattice Schwarz inequality between the action and the topological charge Q. Irrespective of this, in the 2-d O(3) model the topological susceptibility \chi_t = \l/V is logarithmically divergent in the continuum limit. Still, at non-zero distance the correlator of the topological charge density has a finite continuum limit which is consistent with analytic predictions. Our study shows explicitly that some classically important features of an action are irrelevant for reaching the correct quantum continuum limit.Comment: 38 pages, 12 figure

Light Hadron Spectrum and Quark Masses from Quenched Lattice QCD

We present details of simulations for the light hadron spectrum in quenched QCD carried out on the CP-PACS parallel computer. Simulations are made with the Wilson quark action and the plaquette gauge action on 32^3x56 - 64^3x112 lattices at four lattice spacings (a \approx 0.1-0.05 fm) and the spatial extent of 3 fm. Hadronic observables are calculated at five quark masses (m_{PS}/m_V \approx 0.75 - 0.4), assuming the u and d quarks being degenerate but treating the s quark separately. We find that the presence of quenched chiral singularities is supported from an analysis of the pseudoscalar meson data. We take m_\pi, m_\rho and m_K (or m_\phi) as input. After chiral and continuum extrapolations, the agreement of the calculated mass spectrum with experiment is at a 10% level. In comparison with the statistical accuracy of 1-3% and systematic errors of at most 1.7% we have achieved, this demonstrates a failure of the quenched approximation for the hadron spectrum: the meson hyperfine splitting is too small, and the octet masses and the decuplet mass splittings are both smaller than experiment. Light quark masses are calculated using two definitions: the conventional one and the one based on the axial-vector Ward identity. The two results converge toward the continuum limit, yielding m_{ud}=4.29(14)^{+0.51}_{-0.79} MeV. The s quark mass depends on the strange hadron mass chosen for input: m_s = 113.8(2.3)^{+5.8}_{-2.9} MeV from m_K and m_s = 142.3(5.8)^{+22.0}_{-0} MeV from m_\phi, indicating again a failure of the quenched approximation. We obtain \Lambda_{\bar{MS}}^{(0)}= 219.5(5.4) MeV. An O(10%) deviation from experiment is observed in the pseudoscalar meson decay constants.Comment: 60 pages, 49 figure

Quenched QCD with O(a) improvement: I. The spectrum of light hadrons

We present a comprehensive study of the masses of pseudoscalar and vector mesons, as well as octet and decuplet baryons computed in O(a) improved quenched lattice QCD. Results have been obtained using the non-perturbative definition of the improvement coefficient c_sw, and also its estimate in tadpole improved perturbation theory. We investigate effects of improvement on the incidence of exceptional configurations, mass splittings and the parameter J. By combining the results obtained using non-perturbative and tadpole improvement in a simultaneous continuum extrapolation we can compare our spectral data to experiment. We confirm earlier findings by the CP-PACS Collaboration that the quenched light hadron spectrum agrees with experiment at the 10% level.Comment: 36 pages, 7 postscript figures, REVTEX; typo in Table XVIII corrected; extended discussion of finite-size effects in sections III and VII; version to appear in Phys. Rev.

Phase structure and critical temperature of two-flavor QCD with a renormalization group improved gauge action and clover improved Wilson quark action

We study the finite-temperature phase structure and the transition temperature of QCD with two flavors of dynamical quarks on a lattice with the temporal size $N_t=4$, using a renormalization group improved gauge action and the Wilson quark action improved by the clover term. The region of a parity-broken phase is identified, and the finite-temperature transition line is located on a two-dimensional parameter space of the coupling ($\beta=6/g^2$) and hopping parameter $K$. Near the chiral transition point, defined as the crossing point of the critical line of the vanishing pion mass and the line of finite-temperature transition, the system exhibits behavior well described by the scaling exponents of the three-dimensional O(4) spin model. This indicates a second-order chiral transition in the continuum limit. The transition temperature in the chiral limit is estimated to be $T_c = 171(4)$ MeV.Comment: Typographical errors fixed. RevTeX, 19 pages, 17 PS figure