Gribov Copies Research Articles

Electromagnetic Debye mass within Gribov–Zwanziger action

Abstract In the present study we have investigated the electromagnetic Debye mass by computing the static limit of the temporal component of the one-loop photon polarization tensor involving effective quarks in the loop. These effective quarks have been considered within the Gribov–Zwanziger action, thereby incorporating the necessary non-perturbative effects. As an academic exercise, we have also shown one of the applications of this Gribov modified Debye mass by using it to evaluate the real and imaginary parts of the heavy quark potential in a Quantum Electrodynamics (QED) system. This computation of the electromagnetic Debye mass and the corresponding estimations of the heavy quark potential can be seen as stepping stones in the direction of further practical Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) calculations in the non perturbative domain.

Systematic Uncertainties from Gribov Copies in Lattice Calculation of Parton Distributions in the Coulomb gauge

Abstract Recently, it has been proposed to compute parton distributions from boosted correlators fixed in the Coulomb gauge within the framework of Large-Momentum Effective Theory. This method does not involve Wilson lines and could greatly improve the efficiency and precision of lattice QCD calculations. However, there are concerns about whether the systematic uncertainties from Gribov copies, which correspond to the ambiguity in lattice gauge-fixing, are under control. This work gives an assessment of the Gribov copies’ effect in the Coulomb-gauge-fixed quark correlators. We utilize different strategies for the Coulomb-gauge fixing, selecting two different groups of Gribov copies based on the lattice gauge configurations. We test the difference in the resulted spatial quark correlators in the vacuum and a pion state. Our findings indicate that the statistical errors of the matrix elements from both Gribov copies, regardless of the correlation range, decrease proportionally to the square root of the number of gauge configurations. The difference between the strategies does not show statistical significance compared to the gauge noise. This demonstrates that the effect of the Gribov copies can be neglected in the practical lattice calculation of the quark parton distributions.

Infrared gluon propagator in the refined Gribov-Zwanziger scenario at one-loop order in the Landau gauge

The refined Gribov-Zwanziger (RGZ) action in the Landau gauge provides a local and renormalizable framework to account for the existence of infinitesimal Gribov copies in the path integral together with other relevant infrared effects such as the formation of condensates. The properties of the tree-level gluon propagator obtained in this setup have been thoroughly investigated over the past decade. It accommodates important properties seen in lattice simulations such as a finite value at vanishing momentum and positivity violation. Yet a comprehensive study about the stability of such properties against quantum corrections was lacking. In this work, we compute the gluon propagator in the RGZ scenario at one-loop order and implement an appropriate renormalization scheme in order to compare our findings with lattice data. Remarkably, the qualitative properties of the tree-level gluon propagator are preserved. In particular, the fits with lattice data show evidence for positivity violation and the existence of complex poles for SU(2) and SU(3) gauge groups. We comment on the results for the ghost propagator as well. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Ghost-gluon vertex in the presence of the Gribov horizon: General kinematics

Correlation functions are important probes for the behavior of quantum field theories. Already at tree-level, the refined Gribov-Zwanziger (RGZ) effective action for Yang-Mills theories provides a good approximation for the gluon propagator, as compared to that calculated by nonperturbative methods such as lattice field theory and Dyson-Schwinger equations. However, the study of higher correlation functions of the RGZ theory is still at its beginning. In this work we evaluate the ghost-gluon vertex function in Landau gauge at one-loop level, in d=4 space-time dimensions for the gauge groups SU(2) and SU(3). More precisely, we extend the analysis conducted in [1] for the soft-gluon limit to an arbitrary kinematic configuration. We introduce renormalization group effects by means of a toy model for the running coupling and investigate the impact of such a model in the ultraviolet tails of our results. We find that RGZ results match fairly closely those from lattice simulations, Schwinger-Dyson equations and the Curci-Ferrari model for three different kinematic configurations. This is compatible with RGZ being a feasible theory for the strong interaction in the infrared regime. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

The complex heavy quarkonium potential with the Gribov–Zwanziger action

Gribov–Zwanziger prescription in Yang–Mills theory improves the infrared dynamics. In this work, we study the static potential of a heavy quark-antiquark pair with the HTL resummed perturbation method within the Gribov–Zwanziger approach at finite temperature. The real and imaginary parts of the heavy quarkonium complex potential are obtained from the one-loop effective static gluon propagator. The one-loop effective gluon propagator is obtained by calculating the one-loop gluon self-energies containing the quark, gluon, and ghost loop. The gluon and ghost loops are modified in the presence of the Gribov parameter. We also calculate the decay width from the imaginary part of the potential. We also discuss the medium effect of heavy quarkonium potential with the localized action via auxiliary fields.

Refined Gribov-Zwanziger theory coupled to scalar fields in the Landau gauge

The Refined Gribov-Zwanziger (RGZ) action in the Landau gauge accounts for the existence of infinitesimal Gribov copies as well as the dynamical formation of condensates in the infrared of Euclidean Yang-Mills theories. We couple scalar fields to the RGZ action and compute the one-loop scalar propagator in the adjoint representation of the gauge group. We compare our findings with existing lattice data. The fate of BRST symmetry in this model is discussed, and we provide a comparison to a previous proposal for a non-minimal coupling between matter and the RGZ action. We find good agreement with the lattice data of the scalar propagator for the values of the mass parameters that fit the RGZ gluon propagator to the lattice. This suggests that the non-perturbative information carried by the gluon propagator in the RGZ framework provides a suitable mechanism to reproduce the behavior of correlation functions of colored matter fields in the infrared.

Gap equations of background field invariant refined Gribov-Zwanziger action proposals and the deconfinement transition

In earlier work, we set up an effective potential approach at zero temperature for the Gribov-Zwanziger model that takes into account not only the restriction to the first Gribov region as a way to deal with the gauge fixing ambiguity, but also the effect of dynamical dimension-two vacuum condensates. Here, we investigate the model at finite temperature in presence of a background gauge field that allows access to the Polyakov loop expectation value and the Yang-Mills (de)confinement phase structure. This necessitates paying attention to Becchi-Rouet-Stora-Tyutin and background gauge invariance of the whole construct. We employ two such methods as proposed elsewhere in literature: one based on using an appropriate dressed, Becchi-Rouet-Stora-Tyutin invariant, gluon field by the authors and one based on a Wilson-loop dressed Gribov-Zwanziger auxiliary field sector by Kroff and Reinosa. The latter approach outperforms the former in estimating the critical temperature for $N=2$, 3 as well as correctly predicting the order of the transition for both cases.

Non-Abelian Gauge Theories with Composite Fields in the Background Field Method

Non-Abelian gauge theories with composite fields are examined in the background field method. Generating functionals of Green’s functions for a Yang–Mills theory with composite and background fields are introduced, including the generating functional of vertex Green’s functions (effective action). The corresponding Ward identities are obtained, and the issue of gauge dependence is investigated. A gauge variation of the effective action is found in terms of a nilpotent operator depending on the composite and background fields. On-shell independence from the choice of gauge fixing for the effective action is established. In the study of the Ward identities and gauge dependence, finite field-dependent BRST transformations with a background field are introduced and employed on a systematic basis. On the one hand, this involves the consideration of (modified) Ward identities with a field-dependent anticommuting parameter, also depending on a non-trivial background. On the other hand, the issue of gauge dependence is studied with reference to a finite variation of the gauge Fermion. The concept of a joint introduction of composite and background fields to non-Abelian gauge theories is exemplified by the Gribov–Zwanziger theory, including the case of a local BRST-invariant horizon, and also by the Volovich–Katanaev model of two-dimensional gravity with dynamical torsion.

Signatures of the Yang-Mills deconfinement transition from the gluon two-point correlator

We evaluate the longitudinal or (chromo-)electric Yang-Mills gluon propagator in the recently proposed center-symmetric Landau gauge at finite temperature [D. M. van Egmond et al., SciPost Phys. 12, 087 (2022).]. To model the effect of the Gribov copies in the infrared, we use the Curci-Ferrari model which, in turn, allows us to rely on perturbative calculations. At one-loop order in the SU(2) case, the so-obtained longitudinal gluon propagator provides a clear signature for ${Z}_{2}$ center-symmetry breaking with a singular behavior, characteristic of a continuous phase transition. This is in sharp contrast with what is found within the standard Landau gauge. We also identify various signatures for ${Z}_{3}$ center-symmetry breaking in the SU(3) case in the form of genuine order parameters. Among those, we find that the gluon propagator, although degenerate along the diagonal color directions in the confining phase, becomes nondegenerate in the deconfined phase. Our results open new ways of identifying the transition from correlation functions both within continuum approaches and on the lattice.

Toward background field independence within the Gribov horizon

We introduce a background gauge akin to the Landau-DeWitt gauge but deformed by the presence of a gauge parameter for the quantization of Euclidean Yang-Mills theories. In the limit where the background field vanishes, standard linear covariant gauges are recovered. This gauge allows for an explicit investigation of the effects of infinitesimal Gribov copies and their impact to background and gauge parameter dependence of physical correlators. Similarly to linear covariant gauges, the introduction of gauge-invariant dressed fields is essential to restore the Becchi-Rouet-Stora-Tyutin (BRST) symmetry. Hence, we construct a BRST symmetric action in linear covariant background gauges which eliminates regular infinitesimal Gribov copies in analogy to the recently introduced BRST invariant (refined) Gribov-Zwanziger action. The issue of background dependence and its relation to gauge parameter dependence is discussed in the light of nonperturbative effects driven by the elimination of Gribov copies.

Equivalence between the gauge n ⋅ ∂n ⋅ A = 0 and the axial gauge

Singularity of the gauge condition n⋅∂n⋅A=0 at n⋅k=0 is studied here. Such singularity is different from that in axial gauge and can not be regularized through analytical continuation method. It is proved that construction of continuous and well defined gauge links is obstructed by the Gribov ambiguity. Thus continuous gauge conditions which are free from the Gribov ambiguity are essential in studies on nonlocal gauge invariant objects. The Faddeev-Popov determinant of the gauge n⋅∂n⋅A=0, which is solved explicitly here, behaves like a δ-functional of gauge potentials once singularities in the functional integral is neglected and the length of the space along nμ direction tends to infinity. As a sequence, perturbation series in the gauge n⋅∂n⋅A=0 are equivalent to those in axial gauge for objects which are free from these singularities. However, the equivalence between the gauge n⋅∂n⋅A=0 and axial gauge is nontrivial for objects suffering from these singularities. It is also demonstrated through explicit calculations that the equivalence for long distance objects is not the case in general, especially lattice calculations show significant distinctions among the axial gauge n⋅A=0, the Landau gauge ∂⋅A=0 and the gauge n⋅∂n⋅A=0 for long distance objects.

Exploiting the scheme dependence of the renormalization group improvement in infrared Yang–Mills theory

Within the refined Gribov–Zwanziger scenario for four-dimensional Yang–Mills theory in the Landau gauge, a gluon mass term is generated from the restriction of the gauge field configurations to the first Gribov region. Tissier and Wschebor have pointed out that adding a gluon mass term to the usual Faddeev–Popov action yields one-loop renormalization group improved gluon and ghost propagators which are in reasonable agreement with the lattice data even in the infrared regime. In this work, we extend their analysis to several alternative renormalization schemes and show how the renormalization scheme dependence can be used to achieve an almost perfect matching to the lattice data for the gluon and ghost propagators.

Renormalizability of center-vortex sectors in continuum Yang-Mills theory

Recently, a novel approach to quantize SU(N) Yang-Mills theory was proposed, where the configuration space {Aμ} is split into sectors labeled by topological defects, and then the gauge is fixed by a sector dependent condition. As the procedure is local in {Aμ}, it could be free from Gribov copies. In this work, we review the renormalizability of sectors labeled by an arbitrary number of elementary center vortices.

Gribov horizon in Noncommutative QED

It is known that Noncommutative QED (NCQED) exhibits Gribov ambiguities in the Landau gauge. These ambiguities are related to zero modes of the Faddeev-Popov operator and arise in the ghost propagator when it has a pole. In this work, we establish a positive Faddeev-Popov operator for NCQED and the condition for the ghost propagator not to have poles, the so-called Gribov no-pole condition. This condition is implemented in the path integral and allows for the calculation of the photon propagator in momentum space, which is dependent on the squared non-commutativity parameter. In the commutative limit, the standard QED is recovered.

Infrared propagators of Yang-Mills-Chern-Simons theories in linear covariant gauges

Recent works have explored nonperturbative effects due to the existence of (infinitesimal) Gribov copies in Yang-Mills-Chern-Simons theories in three Euclidean dimensions. In particular, the removal of such copies modify the gauge field propagator by a self-consistent dynamically generated mass parameter, the Gribov parameter. Due to the interplay with the topological mass introduced by the Chern-Simons term, the propagator features a nontrivial set of phases with poles of different nature, leading to the possible interpretation of a confinfing to deconfining phase transition. Here, we restore the Becchi--Rouet--Stora--Tyutin (BRST) symmetry which is softly broken by the elimination of gauge copies and provide a BRST-invariant discussion of such a transition. In order to make clear all physical statements, we deal with linear covariant gauges which contain a gauge parameter and therefore allow for an explicit check of gauge parameter independence of physical results. We also discuss the generation of condensates due to the infrared relevance of infinitesimal Gribov copies.

Study of Gribov copies in a Yang-Mills ensemble

Recently, based on a new procedure to quantize the theory in the continuum, it was argued that Singer's theorem points towards the existence of a Yang-Mills ensemble. In the new approach, the gauge fields are mapped into an auxiliary field space used to separately fix the gauge on different sectors labeled by center vortices. In this work, we study this procedure in more detail. We provide examples of configurations belonging to sectors labeled by center vortices and discuss the existence of nonabelian degrees of freedom. Then, we discuss the importance of the mapping injectivity, and show that this property holds infinitesimally for typical configurations of the vortex-free sector and for the simplest example in the one-vortex sector. Finally, we show that these configurations are free from Gribov copies.

Regimes of 3D Yang\u2013Mills theory in the presence of a constant vector background

In this paper, we take into account the Gribov copies present in 3D Yang–Mills–Higgs theory with a constant vector background whose presence breaks the Lorentz symmetry. The constant vector background is introduced within the non-Abelian aether term. Here, we show that this term arises as a one-loop correction. The influence of the aether coupling constant on the system is treated afterwards. As a result, we find that for some values of it the theory can be driven from a nonperturbative regime to a perturbative one. In this paper, we work with the Higgs field in the fundamental representation and in the Landau gauge.

Correspondence between the twisted N=2 super-Yang-Mills and conformal Baulieu-Singer theories

We characterize the correspondence between the twisted $N=2$ super-Yang-Mills theory and the Baulieu-Singer topological theory quantized in the self-dual Landau gauges. While the first is based on an on-shell supersymmetry, the second is based on an off-shell Becchi-Rouet-Stora-Tyutin symmetry. Because of the equivariant cohomology, the twisted $N=2$ in the ultraviolet regime and Baulieu-Singer theories share the same observables, the Donaldson invariants for 4-manifolds. The triviality of the Gribov copies in the Baulieu-Singer theory in these gauges shows that working in the instanton moduli space on the twisted $N=2$ side is equivalent to working in the self-dual gauges on the Baulieu-Singer one. After proving the vanishing of the $\beta$ function in the Baulieu-Singer theory, we conclude that the twisted $N=2$ in the ultraviolet regime, in any Riemannian manifold, is correspondent to the Baulieu-Singer theory in the self-dual Landau gauges -- a conformal gauge theory defined in Euclidean flat space.

Symmetry restoration and the gluon mass in the Landau gauge

We investigate the generation of a gluon screening mass in Yang-Mills theory in the Landau gauge. We propose a gauge-fixing procedure where the Gribov ambiguity is overcome by summing over all Gribov copies with some weight function. This can be formulated in terms of a local field theory involving constrained, nonlinear sigma model fields. We show that a phenomenon of radiative symmetry restoration occurs in this theory, similar to what happens in the standard nonlinear sigma model in two dimensions. This results in a nonzero gluon screening mass, as seen in lattice simulations.

Composite and Background Fields in Non-Abelian Gauge Models

A joint introduction of composite and background fields into non-Abelian quantum gauge theories is suggested based on the symmetries of the generating functional of Green’s functions, with the systematic analysis focused on quantum Yang–Mills theories, including the properties of the generating functional of vertex Green’s functions (effective action). For the effective action in such theories, gauge dependence is found in terms of a nilpotent operator with composite and background fields, and on-shell independence from gauge fixing is established. The basic concept of a joint introduction of composite and background fields into non-Abelian gauge theories is extended to the Volovich–Katanaev model of two-dimensional gravity with dynamical torsion, as well as to the Gribov–Zwanziger theory.