Anomalies, gauge field topology, and the lattice

DOI10.1016/J.AOP.2010.10.011zbMATH Open1213.81205arXiv1007.5502OpenAlexW3100541654MaRDI QIDQ531301FDOQ531301

Authors: Michael Creutz 

Publication date: 29 April 2011

Published in: Annals of Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: Motivated by the connection between gauge field topology and the axial anomaly in fermion currents, I use the fourth power of the naive Dirac operator to define a local lattice measure of topological charge. For smooth gauge fields this reduces to the usual topological density. For typical gauge field configurations in a numerical simulation, however, quantum fluctuations dominate, and the sum of this density over the system does not generally give an integer winding. On cooling with respect to the Wilson gauge action, instanton like structures do emerge. As cooling proceeds, these objects tend shrink and finally "fall through the lattice." Modifying the action can block the shrinking at the expense of a loss of reflection positivity. The cooling procedure is highly sensitive to the details of the initial steps, suggesting that quantum fluctuations induce a small but fundamental ambiguity in the definition of topological susceptibility.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1007.5502

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zbMATH Keywords

anomalieschiral symmetrygauge field topology

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Applications of vector bundles and moduli spaces in mathematical physics (twistor theory, instantons, quantum field theory) (14D21) Yang-Mills and other gauge theories in quantum field theory (81T13) Thermal quantum field theory (81T28) Anomalies in quantum field theory (81T50) Quantum field theory on lattices (81T25)

Cites Work

• Weyl fermions on the lattice and the non-abelian gauge anomaly

Cited In (8)

• Cooling for instantons and the wrath of Nahm
• Index theorem and overlap formalism with naive and minimally doubled fermions
• On topological properties of vacuum defects in lattice Yang-Mills theories
• Topological aspects of lattice gauge theories
• Instanton liquid properties from lattice QCD
• Quark masses, the Dashen phase, and gauge field topology
• Several subtle questions in topological anomalous theories
• Comparison of \(| Q| =1\) and \(| Q| =2\) gauge-field configurations on the lattice four-torus

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