Yang–Mills matrix mechanics and quantum phases

Abstract

The [Formula: see text] Yang–Mills matrix model coupled to fundamental fermions is studied in the adiabatic limit, and quantum critical behavior is seen at special corners of the gauge field configuration space. The quantum scalar potential for the gauge field induced by the fermions diverges at the corners, and is intimately related to points of enhanced degeneracy of the fermionic Hamiltonian. This in turn leads to superselection sectors in the Hilbert space of the gauge field, the ground states in different sectors being orthogonal to each other. The [Formula: see text] Yang–Mills matrix model coupled to two Weyl fermions has three quantum phases. When coupled to a massless Dirac fermion, the number of quantum phases is four. One of these phases is the color-spin locked phase. This paper is an extended version of the lectures given by the second author (SV) at the International Workshop on Quantum Physics: Foundations and Applications, Bangalore, in February 2016, and is based on [1].