Simulating nonequilibrium quantum fields with stochastic quantization techniques

We present lattice simulations of nonequilibrium quantum fields in Minkowskian space-time. Starting from a nonthermal initial state, the real-time quantum ensemble in (3 + 1) dimensions is constructed by a stochastic process in an additional (5th) "Langevin-time." For the example of a self-interacting scalar field, we show how to resolve apparent unstable Langevin dynamics and compare our quantum results with those obtained in classical field theory. Such a direct simulation method is crucial for our understanding of collision experiments of heavy nuclei or other nonequilibrium phenomena in strongly coupled quantum many-body systems.     

Lattice fermions at non-zero temperature and chemical potential

We study the free fermion gas at finite temperature and chemical potential in the lattice regularized version proposed by Hasenfratz and Karsch and by Kogut et al. Special emphasis is placed on the identification of the particle and antiparticle contributions to the partition function. In the case of naive fermions we show that the partition function no longer separates into particle-antiparticle contributions in the way familiar from the continuum formulation. The use of Wilson fermions, on the other hand, eliminates this unpleasant feature, and leads, after subtracting the vacuum contributions, to the familiar expressions for the average energy and charge densities.     

A pole in the3 S 1 hyperon-nucleon scattering amplitudes

Analyzing the enhancement of the λp invariant mass at 2.129 GeV in the rectionK ^? d→π ^? Λp we conclude that there is a pole in the³ S ₁ hyperonnucleon scattering amplitudes at invariant mass squarev=(4.534?i×0.022) GeV².     

Mean field calculations and defect gases in lattice gauge theory

We investigate the relationship between local defects and the mean field method in lattice gauge theory. In particular we clarify the role of defects in establishing the equivalence between mean field calculations with and without gauge fixing. In two dimensions we derive the area law for the Wilson loop by a mean field calculation incorporating defects. We also establish a general rule about mean field variables which are appropriate to handle defects induced by an action that almost possesses a local symmetry group, and we apply it to theZ(2) Higgs model and to the mixedSU(2)-SO(3) model.     

Study of a two-dimensional model with axial-current-pseudoscalar derivative interaction

A detailed study is made of a massive pseudoscalar field interacting via derivative coupling with massless fermions in two-dimensional space-time. The model provides an example of a soluble renormalizable theory with an anomalous axial-vector current and a zero-mass particle interpretation for the fermion. Except for a finite mass and wavefunction renormalization, the boson remains free in the presence of the interaction. The canonical fermion field exhibits an anomalous dimension that is found to be in agreement with the asymptotic Callan-Symanzik equation. The connection between the Wilson expansion for defining operator products in this model and the Dyson equations of renormalized perturbation theory is discussed, and agreement with second-order perturbation theory is verified by explicit calculation.     

Monte Carlo simulation of non-compact QCD with stochastic gauge fixing

A non-compact lattice model of quantum chromodynamics is studied numerically. Whereas in Wilson's lattice theory the basic variables are the elements of a compact Lie group, the present lattice model resembles the continuum theory in that the basic variables A are elements of the corresponding Lie algebra, a non-compact space. The lattice gauge invariance of Wilson's theory is lost. As in the continuum, the action is a quartic polynomial in A, and a stochastic gauge fixing mechanism - which is covariant in the continuum and avoids Faddeev-Popov ghosts and the Gribov ambiguity — is also transcribed to the lattice. It is shown that the model is self-compactifying, in the sense that the probability distribution is concentrated around a compact region of the hyperplane div A = 0 which is bounded by the Gribov horizon. The model is simulated numerically by a Monte Carlo method based on the random walk process. Measurements of Wilson loops, Polyakov loops and correlations of Polyakov loops are reported and analyzed. No evidence of confinement is found for the values of the parameters studied, even in the strong coupling regime.     

Baryon spectrum and the forces between quarks

We study the effect of confinement on gluon bremsstrahlung. A natural infrared cutoff emerges both at small gluon momenta and at small angles. If the confinement potential is of the linear “string” type, the cutoff is controlled by the tension parameter and is thus about 1GeV for the transverse momentum of a hard gluon relative to its parent quark. We propose that this confinement effect may remove the necessity for introducing ad hoc cutoffs by a large “intrinsic partonp _T ” in phenomenological applications of perturbative QCD.     

Correct analysis of neutron-scattering data

In obtaining neutron-scattering data from deuteron experiments one encounters improperly posed problems which require corresponding treatment. A general method is presented for solving this kind of problem. The question of the stability of the solution is studied, in connection with the approximate nature of the experimental information. Stable total K⁺n cross sections are provided, by applying the preceding results, in a search for a possible Z_o resonance.     

Study of the phase structure of an SU(3) Higgs model at finite temperature

We analyse numerically an SU(3) Higgs model with complete symmetry breaking and radial degree of freedom on asymmetric, periodic lattices. The character of both the Higgs and deconfining transitions is found to depend on the Higgs self-coupling and on a parameter which may simulate the number of flavours. In particular, an increase in the latter leads to the disappearance of the deconfining transition for small Higgs masses.     

Complex Langevin: etiology and diagnostics of its main problem

The complex Langevin method is a leading candidate for solving the so-called sign problem occurring in various physical situations. Its most vexing problem is that sometimes it produces ‘convergence to the wrong limit’. In this paper we carefully revisit the formal justification of the method, identifying points at which it may fail and derive a necessary and sufficient criterion for correctness. This criterion is, however, not practical, since its application requires checking an infinite tower of identities. We propose instead a practical test involving only a check of the first few of those identities; this raises the question of the ‘sensitivity’ of the test. This sensitivity as well as the general insights into the possible reasons of failure (the etiology) are then tested in two toy models where the correct answer is known. At least in those models the test works perfectly.