Finite Temperature QCD Interfaces Out of Equilibrium

The properties of interfaces in non-equilibrium situations are studied by constructing a density matrix with a space-dependent temperature. The temperature gradient gives rise to new terms in the equation for the order parameter. Surface terms induced in effective actions by abrupt temperature changes provide a natural theoretical framework for understanding the occurence of both continuous and discontinuous behavior in the order parameter. Monte Carlo simulation of pure QCD shows both kinds of interfacial behavior. Perturbation theory predicts a universal profile in the high temperature phase, which can be tested by Monte Carlo simulation.Comment: 3 pages, contribution to Lattice '94 conference, self-extracting (revised only to include heplat number in line below

Book Review: Apologia Pro Beata Maria Virgine: John Henry Newman’s Defence of the Virgin Mary in Catholic Doctrine and Piety

Book Review: No abstract available

New Phases of SU(3) and SU(4) at Finite Temperature

The addition of an adjoint Polyakov loop term to the action of a pure gauge theory at finite temperature leads to new phases of SU(N) gauge theories. For SU(3), a new phase is found which breaks Z(3) symmetry in a novel way; for SU(4), the new phase exhibits spontaneous symmetry breaking of Z(4) to Z(2), representing a partially confined phase in which quarks are confined, but diquarks are not. The overall phase structure and thermodynamics is consistent with a theoretical model of the effective potential for the Polyakov loop based on perturbation theory.Comment: 18 pages, 17 figures, RevTeX

Center Symmetry and Abelian Projection at Finite Temperature

At finite temperature, there is an apparent conflict between Abelian projection and critical universality. For example, should the deconfinement transition of an SU(2) gauge theory projected to U(1) lie in the Z(2) universality class of the parent SU(2) theory or in the U(1) universality class? I prove that the projected theory lies in the universality class of the parent gauge theory. The mechanism is shown to be non-local terms in the projected effective action involving Polyakov loops. I connect this to the recent work by Dunne et al. on the deconfinement transition in the 2+1 dimensional Georgi-Glashow model.Comment: 3 pages, no figures, Lattice 2002 conference contribution, Lattice2002(topology

PT symmetry and large-N models

Recently developed methods for PT-symmetric models can be applied to quantum-mechanical matrix and vector models. In matrix models, the calculation of all singlet wave functions can be reduced to the solution a one-dimensional PT-symmetric model. The large-N limit of a wide class of matrix models exists, and properties of the lowest-lying singlet state can be computed using WKB. For models with cubic and quartic interactions, the ground state energy appears to show rapid convergence to the large-N limit. For the special case of a quartic model, we find explicitly an isospectral Hermitian matrix model. The Hermitian form for a vector model with O(N) symmetry can also be found, and shows many unusual features. The effective potential obtained in the large-N limit of the Hermitian form is shown to be identical to the form obtained from the original PT-symmetric model using familiar constraint field methods. The analogous constraint field prescription in four dimensions suggests that PT-symmetric scalar field theories are asymptotically free.Comment: 15 pages, to be published in J. Phys. A special issue on Pseudo Hermitian Hamiltonians in Quantum Physic

Phase diagrams of SU(N) gauge theories with fermions in various representations

We minimize the one-loop effective potential for SU(N) gauge theories including fermions with finite mass in the fundamental (F), adjoint (Adj), symmetric (S), and antisymmetric (AS) representations. We calculate the phase diagram on S^1 x R^3 as a function of the length of the compact dimension, beta, and the fermion mass, m. We consider the effect of periodic boundary conditions [PBC(+)] on fermions as well as antiperiodic boundary conditions [ABC(-)]. The use of PBC(+) produces a rich phase structure. These phases are distinguished by the eigenvalues of the Polyakov loop P. Minimization of the effective potential for QCD(AS/S,+) results in a phase where | Im Tr P | is maximized, resulting in charge conjugation (C) symmetry breaking for all N and all values of (m beta), however, the partition function is the same up to O(1/N) corrections as when ABC are applied. Therefore, regarding orientifold planar equivalence, we argue that in the one-loop approximation C-breaking in QCD(AS/S,+) resulting from the application of PBC to fermions does not invalidate the large N equivalence with QCD(Adj,-). Similarly, with respect to orbifold planar equivalence, breaking of Z(2) interchange symmetry resulting from application of PBC to bifundamental (BF) representation fermions does not invalidate equivalence with QCD(Adj,-) in the one-loop perturbative limit because the partition functions of QCD(BF,-) and QCD(BF,+) are the same. Of particular interest as well is the case of adjoint fermions where for Nf > 1 Majorana flavour confinement is obtained for sufficiently small (m beta), and deconfinement for sufficiently large (m beta). For N >= 3 these two phases are separated by one or more additional phases, some of which can be characterized as partially-confining phases.Comment: 39 pages, 26 figures, JHEP3; references added, small corrections mad