Interest Points as a Focus Measure in Multi-Spectral Imaging

A novel multi-spectral focus measure that is based on algorithms for interest point detection, particularly on the FAST (Features from Accelerated Segment Test), Fast Hessian and Harris-Laplace detector, is described in this paper. The proposed measure methods are compared with commonly used focus measure techniques like energy of image gradient, sum-modified Laplacian, Tenenbaum's algorithm or spatial frequency when testing their reliability and performance. The measures have been tested on a newly created database containing 420 images acquired in visible, near-infrared and thermal spectrum (7 objects in each spectrum). Algorithms based on the interest point detectors proved to be good focus measures satisfying all the requirements described in the paper, especially in thermal spectrum. It is shown that these algorithms outperformed all commonly used methods in thermal spectrum and therefore can serve as a new and more accurate focus measure

Infrared Gluon and Ghost Propagators from Lattice QCD. Results from large asymmetric lattices

We report on the infrared limit of the quenched lattice Landau gauge gluon and ghost propagators as well as the strong coupling constant computed from large asymmetric lattices. The infrared lattice propagators are compared with the pure power law solutions from Dyson-Schwinger equations (DSE). For the gluon propagator, the lattice data is compatible with the DSE solution. The preferred measured gluon exponent being $\sim 0.52$, favouring a null zero momentum propagator. The lattice ghost propagator shows finite volume effects and, for the volumes considered, the propagator does not follow a pure power law. Furthermore, the strong coupling constant is computed and its infrared behaviour investigated.Comment: Talk given at QNP06; final version with improved english, accepted for publication at EPJ

Infrared exponents and the strong-coupling limit in lattice Landau gauge

We study the gluon and ghost propagators of lattice Landau gauge in the strong-coupling limit beta=0 in pure SU(2) lattice gauge theory to find evidence of the conformal infrared behavior of these propagators as predicted by a variety of functional continuum methods for asymptotically small momenta $q^2 \ll \Lambda_\mathrm{QCD}^2$. In the strong-coupling limit, this same behavior is obtained for the larger values of a^2q^2 (in units of the lattice spacing a), where it is otherwise swamped by the gauge field dynamics. Deviations for a^2q^2 < 1 are well parameterized by a transverse gluon mass $\propto 1/a$. Perhaps unexpectedly, these deviations are thus no finite-volume effect but persist in the infinite-volume limit. They furthermore depend on the definition of gauge fields on the lattice, while the asymptotic conformal behavior does not. We also comment on a misinterpretation of our results by Cucchieri and Mendes in Phys. Rev. D81 (2010) 016005.Comment: 17 pages, 12 figures. Revised version (mainly sections I and II); references and comments on subsequent work on the subject added

Numerical Study of the Chiral Separation Effect in Two-Color QCD at Finite Density

We study the Chiral Separation Effect (CSE) in finite-density SU(2) lattice gauge theory with dynamical fermions. We find that the strength of the CSE is close to that for free quarks in most regions of the phase diagram, including the high-temperature quark-gluon plasma phase, the low-temperature phase with spontaneously broken chiral symmetry, and the diquark condensation phase which is specific for the SU(2) gauge theory. The CSE is significantly suppressed only at low temperatures and low densities, where the chemical potential is roughly less than half of the pion mass. This suppression can be approximately described by assuming that the CSE current is proportional to the charge density, rather than to the chemical potential, as suggested in the literature [PRD 97 (2018) 085020, ArXiv:1712.01256]. We also provide an upper bound on the contribution of disconnected fermionic diagrams to the CSE, which is consistent with zero within our statistical errors and small compared to that of the connected diagrams.Comment: 9 pages RevTeX, 6 figure

Analytic structure of the gluon and quark propagators in Landau gauge QCD

In Landau gauge QCD the infrared behavior of the propagator of transverse gluons can be analytically determined to be a power law from Dyson-Schwinger equations. This propagator clearly shows positivity violation, indicating the absence of the transverse gluons from the physical spectrum, i.e. gluon confinement. A simple analytic structure for the gluon propagator is proposed capturing all important features. We provide arguments that the Landau gauge quark propagator possesses a singularity on the real timelike axis. For this propagator we find a positive definite Schwinger function.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures; summary of a talk given at several occasions; to be published in the proceedings of the international conference QCD DOWN UNDER, March 10 - 19, Adelaide, Australi

The Gribov parameter and the dimension two gluon condensate in Euclidean Yang-Mills theories in the Landau gauge

The local composite operator A^2 is added to the Zwanziger action, which implements the restriction to the Gribov region in Euclidean Yang-Mills theories in the Landau gauge. We prove the renormalizability of this action to all orders of perturbation theory. This allows to study the dimension two gluon condensate by the local composite operator formalism when the restriction is taken into account. The effective action is evaluated at one-loop order in the MSbar scheme. We obtain explicit values for the Gribov parameter and for the mass parameter due to , but the expansion parameter turns out to be rather large. Furthermore, an optimization of the perturbative expansion in order to reduce the dependence on the renormalization scheme is performed. The properties of the vacuum energy, with or without , are investigated. It is shown that in the original Gribov-Zwanziger formulation (without ), the vacuum energy is always positive at 1-loop order, independently from the renormalization scheme and scale. With , we are unable to come to a definite conclusion at the order considered. In the MSbar scheme, we still find a positive vacuum energy, again with a relatively large expansion parameter, but there are renormalization schemes in which the vacuum energy is negative, albeit the dependence on the scheme itself appears to be strong. We recover the well known consequences of the restriction, and this in the presence of : an infrared suppression of the gluon propagator and an enhancement of the ghost propagator. This behaviour is in qualitative agreement with the results obtained from the studies of the Schwinger-Dyson equations and from lattice simulations.Comment: 42 pages, 10 .eps figures. v2: Version accepted for publication in Phys.Rev.D. Added references. Technical details have been collected in two appendice

Strong-coupling study of the Gribov ambiguity in lattice Landau gauge

We study the strong-coupling limit beta=0 of lattice SU(2) Landau gauge Yang-Mills theory. In this limit the lattice spacing is infinite, and thus all momenta in physical units are infinitesimally small. Hence, the infrared behavior can be assessed at sufficiently large lattice momenta. Our results show that at the lattice volumes used here, the Gribov ambiguity has an enormous effect on the ghost propagator in all dimensions. This underlines the severity of the Gribov problem and calls for refined studies also at finite beta. In turn, the gluon propagator only mildly depends on the Gribov ambiguity.Comment: 14 pages, 22 figures; minor changes, matches version to appear in Eur. Phys. J.

Screening in Hot SU(2) Gauge Theory and Propagators in 3d Adjoint Higgs model

We investigate the large distance behavior of the electric and magnetic propagators of hot SU(2) gauge theory in different gauges using lattice simulations of the full 4d theory and the effective, dimensionally reduced 3d theory. A comparison of the 3d and 4d data for the propagators suggests that dimensional reduction works surprisingly well down to temperatures T=2 T_c. A detailed study of the volume dependence of magnetic propagators is performed. The electric propagators show exponential decay at large distances in all gauges considered and a possible gauge dependence of the electric screening mass turns out to be statistically insignificant.Comment: Submitted to Proceedings of Lattice 2000 and Workshop "Strong and Electroweak Matter 2000". LaTeX uses espcrc2.st

Mesons in a Poincare Covariant Bethe-Salpeter Approach

We develop a covariant approach to describe the low-lying scalar, pseudoscalar, vector and axialvector mesons as quark-antiquark bound states. This approach is based on an effective interaction modeling of the non--perturbative structure of the gluon propagator that enters the quark Schwinger-Dyson and meson Bethe-Salpeter equations. We consistently treat these integral equations by precisely implementing the quark propagator functions that solve the Schwinger-Dyson equations into the Bethe-Salpeter equations in the relevant kinematical region. We extract the meson masses and compute the pion and kaon decay constants. We obtain a quantitatively correct description for pions, kaons and vector mesons while the calculated spectra of scalar and axialvector mesons suggest that their structure is more complex than being quark-antiquark bound states.Comment: 18 pages LaTeX, 5 figures; some changes in the presentation, new results on axial vector mesons in enlarged mixing scheme; version to be published in Physical Review

Minimizing Higgs Potentials via Numerical Polynomial Homotopy Continuation

The study of models with extended Higgs sectors requires to minimize the corresponding Higgs potentials, which is in general very difficult. Here, we apply a recently developed method, called numerical polynomial homotopy continuation (NPHC), which guarantees to find all the stationary points of the Higgs potentials with polynomial-like nonlinearity. The detection of all stationary points reveals the structure of the potential with maxima, metastable minima, saddle points besides the global minimum. We apply the NPHC method to the most general Higgs potential having two complex Higgs-boson doublets and up to five real Higgs-boson singlets. Moreover the method is applicable to even more involved potentials. Hence the NPHC method allows to go far beyond the limits of the Gr\"obner basis approach.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure