Hadron mass spectrum from lattice QCD

Finite temperature lattice simulations of quantum chromodynamics (QCD) are sensitive to the hadronic mass spectrum for temperatures below the "critical" temperature T(c) ≈ 160 MeV. We show that a recent precision determination of the QCD trace anomaly shows evidence for the existence of a large number of hadron states beyond those known from experiment. The lattice results are well represented by an exponentially growing mass spectrum up to a temperature T=155 MeV. Using simple parametrizations of the hadron mass spectrum we show how one may estimate the total spectral weight in these yet undermined states.     

Recent results on QCD thermodynamics: lattice QCD versus Hadron Resonance Gas model

We present our most recent investigations on the QCD cross-over transition temperatures with 2+1 staggered flavours and one-link stout improvement [JHEP 1009:073, 2010]. We extend our previous two studies [Phys. Lett. B643 (2006) 46, JHEP 0906:088 (2009)] by choosing even finer lattices (Nt=16$N_t=16$) and we work again with physical quark masses. All these results are confronted with the predictions of the Hadron Resonance Gas model and Chiral Perturbation Theory for temperatures below the transition region. Our results can be reproduced by using the physical spectrum in these analytic calculations. A comparison with the results of the hotQCD collaboration is also discussed.     

Hadron spectroscopy from lattice QCD

I present recent developments in the lattice QCD calculations of the light hadron spectrum. Emphasis is placed on the failure of the quenched approximation in reproducing the observed spectrum and indications that the discrepancy is reduced by introducing two flavors of light dynamical quarks.     

Hadron interactions in lattice QCD

Progress on the potential method, recently proposed to investigate hadron interactions in lattice QCD, is reviewed. The strategy to extract the potential in lattice QCD is explained in detail. The method is applied to extract NN potentials, hyperon potentials and the meson–baryon potentials. A theoretical investigation is made to understand the origin of the repulsive core using the operator product expansion. Some recent extensions of the method are also discussed.     

Hadron spectroscopy in lattice QCD

A Monte Carlo computation of meson and hadron spectroscopy within lattice QCD is made. We give a detailed discussion of the statistical and systematic errors of the results and analyze the present limitations of our approach. The results are in agreement with the observed spectrum. We also estimate the values of up, down and strange quark masses.     

Hadron wave functions in lattice QCD

Coulomb gauge quark-antiquark wave functions for the pion and the rho are calculated in the valence approximation on a lattice 8³ × 16. We use gauge group SU(2) at β of 2.431 corresponding to an inverse lattice spacing of 1100 ± 100 MeV. The wave functions fall off significantly over the size of the box, are rotationally invariant except at the box's boundary, and are nearly independent of the lagrangian quark mass.     

QCD thermodynamics from the lattice

We review the current methods and results of lattice simulations of quantum chromodynamics at nonzero temperatures and densities. The review is intended to introduce the subject to interested nonspecialists and beginners. It includes a brief overview of lattice gauge theory, a discussion of the determination of the crossover temperature, the QCD phase diagram at zero and nonzero densities, the equation of state, some in-medium properties of hadrons including charmonium, and some plasma transport coefficients.     

Hadron spectrum and infrared-finite behavior of QCD running coupling

We study the behavior of the QCD effective coupling α _s in the low-energy region by exploiting the conventional meson spectrum within a relativistic quantum-field model based on analytical confinement of quarks and gluons. The spectra of quark-antiquark and two-gluon bound states are defined by using a master equation similar to the ladder Bethe-Salpeter equation. A new, independent and specific infrared-finite behavior of QCD coupling is found below energy scale ∼1 GeV. Particularly, an infrared-fixed point is extracted at α _s (0) ≅ 0.757 for confinement scale Λ = 345 MeV. We provide a new analytic estimate of the lowest-state glueball mass. As applications, we also estimate masses of some intermediate and heavy mesons as well as the weak-decay constants of light mesons. By introducing only a minimal set of parameters (the quark masses m _f and Λ) we obtain results in reasonable agreement with recent experimental data in a wide range of energy scale ∼0.1–10 GeV. We demonstrate that global properties of some low-energy phenomena may be explained reasonably in the framework of a simple relativistic quantum-field model if one guesses correct symmetry structure of the quark-gluon interaction in the confinement region and uses simple forms of propagators in the hadronisation regime. The model may serve a reasonable framework to describe simultaneously different sectors in low-energy particle physics.     

Hadron resonance gas and nonperturbative QCD vacuum at finite temperature

Nonperturbative QCD vacuum with two light quarks at finite temperature was studied in a hadron resonance-gas model. Temperature dependences of the quark and gluon condensates in the confined phase were obtained. It is shown that the quark condensate and one-half (chromoelectric component) of the gluon condensate are evaporated at the same temperature corresponding to the quark-hadron phase transition. With allowance for the temperature shift of hadron masses, the critical temperature was found to be T _c ?190 MeV.     

The hadron spectrum from lattice QCD

Determining the hadron spectrum and hadron properties beyond the ground states is a challenge in lattice QCD. Most of these results have been in the quenched approximation but now we are entering the dynamical era. I review some of the ideas and methods of the lattice approach, concentrating on a few examples and on results obtained for Chirally Improved (CI) fermions.     

Effective Hamiltonains and degenerate perturbation theory calculations of the mass spectrum in lattice QCD

Hamiltonian quantum chromodynamics has been formulated on a discrete lattice, in an attempt to calculate the hadronspectrum using strong coupling expansions. Previous attempts have involved including an irrelevant four-fermion interaction term in the Hamiltonian. As well as making the quark content of the zeroth order states the same as that of the simple additive quark model, this term splits the infinite zeroth order degeneracies of the original Hamiltonian. In this paper we calculate the masses of low lying states in the absence of such a term, using an effective Hamiltonian method to solve the degeneracy problem. We discuss the problems of continuing our series to the continuum limit in the presence of level repulsion.     

Interacting hadron resonance gas meets lattice QCD

We present, in the framework of the interacting hadron resonance gas, an evaluation of thermodynamical quantities. The interaction is modelled via a correction for the finite size of the hadrons. We investigate the sensitivity of the model calculations on the radius of the hadrons, which is a parameter of the model. Our calculations for thermodynamical quantities as energy and entropy densities and pressure are confronted with predictions using the lattice Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) formalism.     

Precise hadron mass calculations from lattice QCD

By using scalar as opposed to spin-$\text{1}\text{2}$ quarks and treating spin effects perturbatively, the masses of the lowest lying 0^- and 1^- mesons above 1 GeV (the J/Ψ, η_c, D, D¹, F, F¹, and φ) are calculated to 1%. The masses of the K¹, ?, and K are respectively obtained to 3%, 8% and 30%. Certain (spin-averaged) linear combinations of baryon masses are also computed. The nucleon-delta result differs from experiment by 8%. For heavier baryons the error is smaller. Scalar lattice QCD seems to be a promising approach to the strong interactions.