The high-temperature phase of Landau-gauge Yang-Mills theory

The properties of the high-temperature phase of Yang-Mills theory in Landau gauge are investigated by extending an earlier study on the infinite-temperature limit to finite temperatures. To this end the Dyson-Schwinger equations for the propagators of the gluon and the Faddeev-Popov ghost are solved analytically in the infrared and numerically at non-vanishing momenta. Gluons, polarized transversely with respect to the heat bath are found to comply with the Gribov-Zwanziger and the Kugo-Ojima scenario, while longitudinally polarized gluons are screened. Therefore the high-temperature phase is strongly interacting. It is furthermore conjectured that Yang-Mills theory undergoes a first-order phase transition. Indications are found that at high temperatures the thermodynamic properties are nearly those of an ideal gas, although long-range interactions prevail.Received: 5 April 2005, Revised: 26 April 2005, Published online: 8 June 2005PACS: 11.10.Wx, 11.15.-q, 12.38.-t, 12.38.Aw, 12.38.Lg, 12.38.Mh, 14.70.Dj     

Temperature dependence of gluon and ghost propagators in Landau-gauge Yang-Mills theory below the phase transition

The Dyson-Schwinger equations of Landau-gauge Yang-Mills theory for the gluon and ghost propagators are investigated. Numerical results are obtained within a truncation scheme which has proven to be successful at vanishing temperature. For temperatures up to 250 MeV we find only minor quantitative changes in the infrared behavior of the gluon and ghost propagators. The effective action calculated from these propagators is temperature independent within the numerical uncertainty.Received: 25 August 2004, Revised: 29 March 2005, Published online: 8 June 2005PACS: 11.10.Wx, 12.38.Aw, 14.70.Dj     

Continuum limit improved lattice action for pure Yang-Mills theory (II)

Wilson loops are calculated to one-loop order using lattice actions including 6-link loops. The static potential is extracted and its small-a expansion performed using coefficients determined at tree level. The Λ-parameter for Symanzik's improved action is thereby obtained and constraints placed on the coefficients appearing in the action at order g².     

Towards the large N limit of pure Nu = 1 super Yang-Mills theory

We find the gravity solution corresponding to a large number of Neveu-Schwarz or D5-branes wrapped on a two sphere so that we have pure Nu = 1 super Yang-Mills in the IR. The supergravity solution is smooth, it shows confinement, and it breaks the U(1)(R) chiral symmetry in the appropriate way. When the gravity approximation is valid the masses of glueballs are comparable to the masses of Kaluza-Klein (KK) states on the 5-brane, but if we could quantize strings on this background it looks like we should be able to decouple the KK states.     

Yang-Mills theory and uniformization

We define a notion of a stable system of Hodge bundles. A stable system of Hodge bundles has a Hermitian-Yang-Mills metric and, if certain Chern classes vanish, this gives a complex variation of Hodge structure. We use these ideas to obtain a criterion for a variety to be uniformized by a bounded symmetric domain.     

Geometric regularization of Yang-Mills theory

A continuum regularization of Yang-Mills theory with a possible non-perturbative interpretation is introduced in the euclidean formalism. The regularization preserves Lorentz covariance and gauge invariance and involves not only a regularization of the action but also a regularization of the functional measure in terms of a nuclear-riemannian structure of the space of gauge orbits.     

Topological aspects of Yang-Mills theory

The space of mapsS ³ G has components which give the topological quantum number of Yang-Mills theory for the groupG. Each component of the space has further topological invariants. WhenG=SU(2) we show that these invariants (the homology groups) are captured by the space of instantons. Using these invariants we show that potentials must exist for which the massless Dirac equation (in Euclidean 4-space) has arbitrarily many independent solutions (for fixed instanton number).     

Gravity as Yang-Mills gauge theory

We propose a Yang-Mills field theory of gravity based on a unitary phase-gauge-invariance of the lagrangian where the gauge transformations are those of the SU(2) × U(1) symmetry of the 2-spinors. In the classical limit this microscopic theory results in Einstein's metrical theory of gravity, where we restrict ourselves in a first step to its linearized version.     

Yang-Mills gauge theory and gravitation

We point out that Yang's and Einstein's gravitational equations can be obtained from a geometric approach of Yang-Mills gauge theory in a sourceless case, under a decomposition of the Poincaré algebra. Otherwise, Einstein's equations cannot be derived from a Yang-Mills gauge equation when sources are inserted in the rotational sector of that algebra. A gauge Lagrangian structure is also discussed.     

Two-loop diagrams in Yang-Mills theory

A calculation of the renormalisation constants of the Yang-Mills field to O(g⁴) is presented. The function β(g) is hence evaluated to O(g⁵) and possible implications for gauge theories of the strong interactions discussed.     

Half-monopoles in the Yang-Mills theory

Using a gauge-invariant characterization of monopoles defined via their centres, we investigate the generic topological field pattern for the three-dimensional Yang-Mills theory. This leads to field patterns with one-half winding number. After presenting the main features through the simpler case of half-vortices, we consider half-monopoles in detail.     

String-like phase in Yang-Mills theory

A dynamical mechanism is discussed leading to the phase where the string of the color flux tube is formed in Yang-Mills theory. The pairing force between massless gauge fields in the color single channel forms a tachyon or a Cooper state and leads to the instability of the normal vacuum. A stable vacuum is required to remain massless after the condensation of pairs. Then the stability of the new vacuum leads to the condition on the 't Hooft index α which is equivalent to the condition of the existence of the string solutions.     

Yang-Mills theory on a cylinder

Yang-Mills theory on a two dimensional cylinder is studied in the hamiltonian formalism, without using gauge conditions. Since the only gauge invariant variable is the Wilson loop (holonomy) this system is equivalent to a finite dimensional system. The eigenstates and eigenvalues of the hamiltonian are found exactly.     

Double field formulation of Yang-Mills theory

Based on our previous work on the differential geometry for the closed string double field theory, we construct a Yang-Mills action which is covariant under O(D,D) T-duality rotation and invariant under three-types of gauge transformations: non-Abelian Yang-Mills, diffeomorphism and one-form gauge symmetries. In double field formulation, in a manifestly covariant manner our action couples a single O(D,D) vector potential to the closed string double field theory. In terms of undoubled component fields, it couples a usual Yang-Mills gauge field to an additional one-form field and also to the closed string background fields which consist of a dilaton, graviton and a two-form gauge field. Our resulting action resembles a twisted Yang-Mills action.