Chromoelectric flux tubes within non-Abelian Proca theory

Abstract

Flux tube solutions within non-Abelian SU(3) Proca theory with external sources are obtained. It is shown that such tubes have a longitudinal chromoelectric field possessing two components (nonlinear and gradient), as well as a transverse chromomagnetic field whose force lines create concentric circles with the center on the axis of the tube. The scenario of a possible relationship between non-Abelian Proca theory and quantum chromodynamics is considered. In such scenario: (a) the components of color fields have different behavior: those which are almost classical, and those which are purely quantum; (b) the second components create a gluon condensate that is a source of the field for the almost classical components of the Proca field; (c) Proca masses may appear as a result of an approximate description of the gluon condensate; (d) the question of gauge invariance is considered. It is shown that the results obtained are in good agreement with the results of lattice calculations. We make an assumption that an approximate description of a flux tube in quantum chromodynamics can be carried out using classical Proca equations but with a mandatory account of a gluon condensate.