Landau Gauge Gluon Propagator Research Articles

Impact of dynamical fermions on the center vortex gluon propagator

The impact of $SU(3)$ center vortices on the Landau-gauge gluon propagator is calculated in the presence of dynamical fermions and compared to the pure Yang-Mills case. The presence of dynamical fermions is found to alter the behavior of the center vortex propagator when compared to the established pure-gauge result. The gluon spectral representation is also explored from the center vortex perspective, where center vortices are shown to exhibit clear signs of positivity violation, which is an indicator of confinement. Vortex removal subsequently restores positivity, demonstrating the crucial role center vortices play in the confinement of gluons.

Rigorous reconstruction of gluon propagator in the presence of complex singularities

It has been suggested that the Landau-gauge gluon propagator has complex singularities, which invalidates the Källén–Lehmann spectral representation. Since such singularities are beyond the standard formalism of quantum field theory, the reconstruction of Minkowski propagators from Euclidean propagators has to be carefully examined for their interpretation. In this talk, we present rigorous results on this reconstruction in the presence of complex singularities. As a result, the analytically continued Wightman function is holomorphic in the usual tube, and the Lorentz symmetry and locality are kept valid. On the other hand, the Wightman function on the Minkowski spacetime is a non-tempered distribution and violates the positivity condition. Finally, we discuss an interpretation and implications of complex singularities in quantum theories, arguing that complex singularities correspond to zero-norm confined states.

Position-space gluon propagator from quenched lattice QCD

We report novel lattice QCD results for the position-space gluon propagator in Landau gauge from quenched simulations. Using standard Wilson action, we computed gluon propagator in position space with a detailed treatment of hypercubic errors. Gluon propagator is scrutinized in position-space, discussing on the usefulness of the long-distance behavior of gluon propagator for constraining the gluon spectral function or the deep infrared running of the gluon propagator in momentum-space.

Reconstructing propagators of confined particles in the presence of complex singularities

Propagators of confined particles, especially the Landau-gauge gluon propagator, may have complex singularities as suggested by recent numerical works as well as several theoretical models, e.g., motivated by the Gribov problem. In this paper, we study formal aspects of propagators with complex singularities in reconstructing Minkowski propagators starting from Euclidean propagators by the analytic continuation. We derive the following properties rigorously for propagators with arbitrary complex singularities satisfying some boundedness condition. The two-point Schwinger function with complex singularities violates the reflection positivity. In the presence of complex singularities, while the holomorphy in the usual tube is maintained, the reconstructed Wightman function on the Minkowski spacetime becomes a nontempered distribution and violates the positivity condition. On the other hand, the Lorentz symmetry and locality are kept intact under this reconstruction. Finally, we argue that complex singularities can be realized in a state space with an indefinite metric and correspond to confined states. We also discuss consequences of complex singularities in the Becchi-Rouet-Stora-Tyutin formalism. Our results could open up a new way of understanding a confinement mechanism, mainly in the Landau-gauge Yang-Mills theory.

Reconstructing confined particles with complex singularities

Complex singularities have been suggested in propagators of confined particles, e.g., the Landau-gauge gluon propagator. We rigorously reconstruct Minkowski propagators from Euclidean propagators with complex singularities. As a result, the analytically continued Wightman function is holomorphic in the tube, and the Lorentz symmetry and locality are kept intact, whereas the reconstructed Wightman function violates the temperedness and the positivity condition. Moreover, we argue that complex singularities correspond to confined zero-norm states in an indefinite metric state space.

Fully coupled functional equations for the quark sector of QCD

We present a comprehensive study of the quark sector of $2+1$ flavour QCD, based on a self-consistent treatment of the coupled system of Schwinger-Dyson equations for the quark propagator and the full quark-gluon vertex. The individual form factors of the quark-gluon vertex are expressed in a special tensor basis obtained from a set of gauge-invariant operators. The sole external ingredient used as input to our equations is the Landau gauge gluon propagator with $2+1$ dynamical quark flavours, obtained from studies with Schwinger-Dyson equations, the functional renormalisation group approach, and large volume lattice simulations. The appropriate renormalisation procedure required in order to self-consistently accommodate external inputs stemming from other functional approaches or the lattice is discussed in detail, and the value of the gauge coupling is accurately determined at two vastly separated renormalisation group scales. Our analysis establishes a clear hierarchy among the vertex form factors. We identify only three dominant ones, in agreement with previous results. The components of the quark propagator obtained from our approach are in excellent agreement with the results from Schwinger-Dyson equations, the functional renormalisation group, and lattice QCD simulation, a simple benchmark observable being the chiral condensate in the chiral limit, which is computed as $(245\,\textrm{MeV})^3$. The present approach has a wide range of applications, including the self-consistent computation of bound-state properties and finite temperature and density physics, which are briefly discussed.

Thermal quarks and gluon propagators in two-color dense QCD

We study Landau gauge gluon propagators in two-color QCD at finite quark chemical potential ($\mu_q$) and temperature ($T$). We include medium polarization effects at one-loop by quarks into massive gluon propagators, and compared the analytic results with the available lattice data. We particularly focus on the high density phase of color-singlet diquark condensates whose critical temperature is $\sim 100$ MeV with weak dependence on $\mu_q$. At zero temperature the color singlet condensates protect the IR limit of electric and magnetic gluon propagators from the medium screening effects. At finite temperature, this behavior remains true for the magnetic sector, but the electric screening mass should be generated by thermal, and hence gapless, particles which are unbound from the diquark condensates. Treating thermal excitations as quasi-quarks, we found that the electric screening develops too fast compared to the lattice results. Beyond the critical temperature for diquark condensates the analytic results are consistent with the lattice results.

H(4) tensor representations for the lattice Landau gauge gluon propagator and the estimation of lattice artefacts

The use of lattice tensor representations is explored to investigate the lattice Landau gauge gluon propagator for the pure SU(3) Yang-Mills gauge theory in 4D. The analysis of several tensor bases allows to quantify the completeness of the various tensor bases considered, the deviations of the lattice results from the continuum theory due to the lattice artefacts and estimate the theoretical uncertainty in the propagator. Furthermore, our analysis tests continuum based relations with the lattice data and show that the lattice Landau gauge gluon propagator is described by a unique form factor, as in the continuum formulation.

Analytic structure of the lattice Landau gauge gluon and ghost propagators

Starting from the lattice Landau gauge gluon and ghost propagator data we use a sequence of Pad\'e approximants, identify the poles and zeros for each approximant and map them into the analytic structure of the propagators. For the Landau gauge gluon propagator the Pad\'e analysis identifies a pair of complex conjugate poles and a branch cut along the negative real axis of the Euclidean ${p}^{2}$ momenta. For the Landau gauge ghost propagator the Pad\'e analysis shows a single pole at ${p}^{2}=0$ and a branch cut also along the negative real axis of the Euclidean ${p}^{2}$ momenta. The method gives precise estimates for the gluon complex poles that agree well with other estimates found in the literature. For the branch cut the Pad\'e analysis gives, at least, a rough estimate of the corresponding branch point.

The generalised infrared structure of the gluon propagator

Gauge theory correlators are potentially more singular in the infrared than those in non-gauge theories. We determine the implications that these singularities have on the spectrum of the theory, proving that the appearance of generalised poles implies the existence of on-shell states with fixed mass, but zero norm. For quantum chromodynamics these poles have direct relevance for the confinement of coloured states. Using lattice data for the Landau gauge gluon propagator we subsequently test for the presence of these poles, establishing that the data is indeed consistent with such a component.

Gluon propagator and three-gluon vertex with dynamical quarks

We present a detailed analysis of the kinetic and mass terms associated with the Landau gauge gluon propagator in the presence of dynamical quarks, and a comprehensive dynamical study of certain special kinematic limits of the three-gluon vertex. Our approach capitalizes on results from recent lattice simulations with (2+1) domain wall fermions, a novel nonlinear treatment of the gluon mass equation, and the nonperturbative reconstruction of the longitudinal three-gluon vertex from its fundamental Slavnov–Taylor identities. Particular emphasis is placed on the persistence of the suppression displayed by certain combinations of the vertex form factors at intermediate and low momenta, already known from numerous pure Yang–Mills studies. One of our central findings is that the inclusion of dynamical quarks moderates the intensity of this phenomenon only mildly, leaving the asymptotic low-momentum behavior unaltered, but displaces the characteristic “zero crossing” deeper into the infrared region. In addition, the effect of the three-gluon vertex is explored at the level of the effective gauge coupling, whose size is considerably reduced with respect to its counterpart obtained from the ghost-gluon vertex. The main upshot of the above considerations is the further confirmation of the tightly interwoven dynamics between the two- and three-point sectors of QCD.

Gluon propagator in two-color dense QCD: Massive Yang-Mills approach at one loop

We study the Landau gauge gluon propagators in dense two-color QCD at quark chemical potential, $\mu_q$, in the range from 0.5 to 1.0 GeV not reachable by the perturbative method at weak coupling. In order to take into account the non-perturbative effects, at tree level we use a massive Yang-Mills model for the Yang-Mills theory (or the Curci-Ferrari model) which has successfully described the lattice results of the gluon and ghost propagators in the Landau gauge. We couple quarks to this theory and compute the one-loop polarization effects in medium. The presence of the gluon mass significantly tempers the medium effects and uncertainties associated with the strong coupling constant $\alpha_s$. The diquark condensate in two-color QCD is color-singlet, for which neither electric nor magnetic screening masses should appear at the scale less than the diquark gap. The presence of the gap helps to explain the lattice results which are not very sensitive to the quark density. Meanwhile we also found the limitation of the one-loop estimate as well as the lack of some physics in perturbative medium corrections.

Modeling the gluon and ghost propagators in Landau gauge by truncated Dyson-Schwinger equations

We suggest a framework based on the rainbow approximation with effective parameters adjusted to lattice data. The analytic structure of the gluon and ghost propagators of QCD in Landau gauge is analyzed by means of numerical solutions of the coupled system of truncated Dyson-Schwinger equations. We find that the gluon and ghost dressing functions are singular in complex Euclidean space with singularities as isolated pairwise conjugated poles. These poles hamper solving numerically the Bethe-Salpeter equation for glueballs as bound states of two interacting dressed gluons. Nevertheless, we argue that, by knowing the position of the poles and their residues, a reliable algorithm for numerical solving the Bethe-Salpeter equation can be established.

Gluon propagator on a center-vortex background

The impact of $SU(3)$ center vortices on the gluon propagator in Landau gauge is investigated on original, vortex-removed and vortex-only lattice gauge field configurations. Vortex identification is found to partition the gluon propagator into short-range strength on the vortex-removed configurations and long-range strength on the vortex-only configurations. The effect of smoothing vortex-only configurations is also studied, and a regime for recovering the form of the smoothed original propagator from vortex-only configurations is introduced. The results reinforce the significance of center vortices in a fundamental understanding of QCD vacuum structure.

High precision statistical Landau gauge lattice gluon propagator computation vs. the Gribov–Zwanziger approach

In this article we report on lattice results for the Landau gauge gluon propagator using large statistical ensembles. In particular, the compatibility of the lattice data with the tree level predictions of the Refined Gribov–Zwanziger and the Very Refined Gribov–Zwanziger actions is analysed, complementing earlier work using small-scale statistics. Our results show that the data is well described by the tree level estimate only up to momentap≲1 GeV and clearly favours the so-called Refined Gribov–Zwanziger scenario propagator. For the Very Refined Gribov–Zwanziger action, these results imply a particular relation betweend=2 condensates. Furthermore, we also provide a global fit of the lattice data that interpolates between the above scenario at low momenta and the usual continuum one-loop renormalization improved perturbation theory after introducing an infrared log-regularizing term.

Finite temperature gluon propagator in Landau gauge: non-zero Matsubara frequencies and spectral densities

We report on the lattice computation of the Landau gauge gluon propagator at finite temperature, including the non-zero Matsubara frequencies. Moreover, the corresponding Källén-Lehmann spectral density is computed, using a Tikhonov regularisation together with the Morozov discrepancy principle. Implications for gluon confinement are also discussed.

Bloch Waves in Minimal Landau Gauge and the Infinite-Volume Limit of Lattice Gauge Theory.

By exploiting the similarity between Bloch's theorem for electrons in crystalline solids and the problem of Landau gauge fixing in Yang-Mills theory on a "replicated" lattice, we show that large-volume results can be reproduced by simulations performed on much smaller lattices. This approach, proposed by Zwanziger [Nucl. Phys. B412, 657 (1994)NUPBBO0550-321310.1016/0550-3213(94)90396-4], corresponds to taking the infinite-volume limit for Landau-gauge field configurations in two steps: first for the gauge transformation alone, while keeping the lattice volume finite, and second for the gauge-field configuration itself. The solutions to the gauge-fixing condition are then given in terms of Bloch waves. Applying the method to data from MonteCarlo simulations of pure SU(2) gauge theory in two and three space-time dimensions, we are able to evaluate the Landau-gauge gluon propagator for lattices of linear extent up to 16 times larger than that of the simulated lattice. This approach is reminiscent of the Fisher-Ruelle construction of the thermodynamic limit in classical statistical mechanics.

Lattice Landau Gauge Gluon Propagator at Finite Temperature: Non-zero Matsubara Frequencies and Spectral Densities

The lattice Landau gauge gluon propagator at finite temperature is computed including the non-zero Matsubara frequencies. Furthermore, the Kallen-Lehmann representation is inverted and the corresponding spectral density evaluated using a Tikhonov regularisation together with the Morozov discrepancy principle. Implications for gluon confinement are discussed.

Gluon dynamics, center symmetry, and the deconfinement phase transition in SU(3) pure Yang-Mills theory

The correlations between the modulus of the Polyakov loop, its phase $\ensuremath{\theta}$, and the Landau gauge gluon propagator at finite temperature are investigated in connection with the center symmetry for pure Yang-Mills SU(3) theory. In the deconfined phase, where the center symmetry is spontaneously broken, the phase of the Polyakov loop per configuration is close to $\ensuremath{\theta}=0$, $\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}2\ensuremath{\pi}/3$. We find that the gluon propagator form factors associated with $\ensuremath{\theta}\ensuremath{\approx}0$ differ quantitatively and qualitatively from those associated to $\ensuremath{\theta}\ensuremath{\approx}\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}2\ensuremath{\pi}/3$. This difference between the form factors is a property of the deconfined phase and a sign of the spontaneous breaking of the center symmetry. Furthermore, given that this difference vanishes in the confined phase, it can be used as an order parameter associated to the deconfinement transition. For simulations near the critical temperature ${T}_{c}$, the difference between the propagators associated to $\ensuremath{\theta}\ensuremath{\approx}0$ and $\ensuremath{\theta}\ensuremath{\approx}\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}2\ensuremath{\pi}/3$ allows one to classify the configurations as belonging to the confined or deconfined phase. This establishes a selection procedure which has a measurable impact on the gluon form factors. Our results also show that the absence of the selection procedure can be erroneously interpreted as lattice artifacts.

Veneziano ghost, modified gluon propagator, and gauge copies in QCD

In this short note, we come back to the recent proposal put forward by Kharzeev and Levin [PRL 114 (2015) 24, 242001], in which they phenomenologically couple the non-perturbative Veneziano ghost to the perturbative gluon, leading to a modified gluon propagator (the "glost") of the Gribov type, with complex poles. As such, a possible link was made between the QCD topological \theta-vacuum (Veneziano ghost) and color confinement (no physically observable gluons). We discuss some subtleties concerning gauge (BRST) invariance of this proposal, related to the choice of Feynman gauge. We furthermore provide an example in the Landau gauge of a similar phenomenological vertex that also describes the necessary Veneziano ghost but does not affect the Landau gauge gluon propagator.