Lattice QCD Simulations Research Articles

Neutral pion polarizabilities from four-point functions in lattice QCD

We report a proof-of-principle lattice QCD simulation of the electric and magnetic polarizabilities for a neutral pion in the four-point function method. The results are based on the same quenched Wilson ensembles on a 243×48 lattice at β=6.0 with pion mass from 1100 to 370 MeV previously used for a charged pion. For electric polarizability, the results are largely consistent with those from the background field method and ChPT. In contrast, there are significant differences for magnetic polarizability among the four-point function method, the background field method, and ChPT. The situation points to the important role of disconnected diagrams for a neutral pion. We elucidate a transparent quark decomposition in the four-point function method that can be used to shed light on the issue.

Investigations of the weak decays of DB¯ molecules

The decays of exotic states discovered experimentally always proceed via the strong and electromagnetic interactions. Recently, a tetraquark state with the quark content bcq¯q¯ was predicted by lattice QCD simulations. It is below the mass threshold of DB¯, which can only decay via the weak interaction. In this work, based on the decay mechanism of Tcc as a DD* molecule, we propose that the decays of the bcq¯q¯ tertaquark state as a DB¯ molecule proceed via the Cabibbo-favored weak decays of the B¯ or D meson, accompanied by the tree-level decay modes and the triangle decay modes. Our results indicate that the branching fraction of the DB¯ molecule decaying into π+K−B¯0 is sizable, which is a good channel to observe the DB¯ molecule in future experiments. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Euclidean effective theory for partons in the spirit of Steven Weinberg

The standard formulation of parton physics involves light-cone correlations of quark and gluon fields in a hadron, which leads to a widespread impression that it can only be studied through real-time Hamiltonian dynamics or light-front quantization, which are challenged by non-perturbative computations with a pertinent regulator for light-cone/rapidity divergences (or zero modes). As such, standard lattice QCD studies have been limited to indirect parton observables such as first few moments and short-distance correlations, which do not provide the x-distributions without solving the model-dependent inverse problem. Here I describe an alternative formulation of partons in terms of equal-time (or Euclidean) correlators, which allows to compute precision-controlled x-distribution through lattice QCD simulations. This approach is in accord with Weinberg's pioneering idea of effective field theory as well as Wilson's renormalization group, in which the large hadron momentum serves as a natural cut-off for light-cone/rapidity divergences and can ultimately be eliminated through a method like the “perfect action” program in lattice QCD.

Kaon mixing beyond the standard model with physical masses

We present nonperturbative results for beyond the standard model kaon mixing matrix elements in the isospin symmetric limit (mu=md) of QCD, including a complete estimate of all dominant sources of systematic error. Our results are obtained from numerical simulations of lattice QCD with Nf=2+1 flavors of dynamical domain wall fermions. For the first time, these quantities are simulated directly at the physical pion mass mπ∼139 MeV for two different lattice spacings. We include data at three lattice spacings in the range a=0.11–0.07 fm and with pion masses ranging from the physical value up to 450 MeV. Compared to our earlier work, we have added both direct calculations at physical quark masses and a third lattice spacing making the removal of discretization effects significantly more precise and eliminating the need for any significant mass extrapolation beyond the range of simulated data. We renormalize the lattice operators nonperturbatively using RI-SMOM off-shell schemes. These schemes eliminate the need to model and subtract nonperturbative pion poles that arises in the RI-MOM scheme and, since the calculations are performed with domain wall fermions, the unphysical mixing between chirality sectors is suppressed. Our results for the bag parameters in the MS¯ scheme at 3 GeV are BK≡B1=0.5240(17)(54), B2=0.4794(25)(35), B3=0.746(13)(17), B4=0.897(02)(10) and B5=0.6882(78)(94), where the first error is from lattice uncertainties and the second is the uncertainty due to the perturbative matching to MS¯. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Estimates on the convergence of expansions at finite baryon chemical potentials

Convergence of three different expansion schemes at finite baryon chemical potentials, including the conventional Taylor expansion, the Padé approximants, and the T′ expansion proposed recently in lattice QCD simulations, have been investigated in a low energy effective theory within the functional renormalization group approach. It is found that the convergence of the T′ expansion and the Padé approximants is consistent with the conventional Taylor expansion, within the expansion orders considered in this work. Furthermore, we find that the consistent regions of the three different expansions are in agreement with the convergence radius of the Lee-Yang edge singularities. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Conjectures about the Chiral Phase Transition in QCD from Anomalous Multi-Instanton Interactions.

To date numerical simulations of lattice QCD have not found a chiral phase transition of first order that is expected to occur for sufficiently light pions. We show how the restoration of an exact global chiral symmetry can strongly decrease the breaking of the approximate, anomalous U_{A}(1) symmetry. This is testable on the lattice through simulations for one through four flavors. In QCD a small breaking of the U_{A}(1) symmetry in the chirally symmetric phase generates novel experimental signals.

Baryonic screening masses in QCD at high temperature

We compute the baryonic screening masses of the nucleon and of its negative parity partner in thermal QCD with Nf=3 massless quarks for a wide range of temperatures, from T∼1 GeV up to ∼160 GeV. The computation is performed by Monte Carlo simulations of lattice QCD with O(a)-improved Wilson fermions by exploiting a recently proposed strategy to study non-perturbatively QCD at very high temperature. Very large spatial extensions are considered in order to have negligible finite volume effects. For each temperature we have simulated 3 or 4 values of the lattice spacing, so as to perform the continuum limit extrapolation with confidence at a few permille accuracy. The degeneracy of the positive and negative parity-state screening masses, expected from Ward identities associated to non-singlet axial transformations, provides further evidence for the restoration of chiral symmetry in the high temperature regime of QCD. In the entire range of temperatures explored, the baryonic masses deviate from the free theory result, 3πT, by 4–8%. The contribution due to the interactions is clearly visible up to the highest temperature considered, and cannot be explained by the expected leading behavior in the QCD coupling constant g over the entire range of temperatures explored.

Light-quark mass dependence of the Λ(1405) resonance

We present the light-quark mass dependence of the Λ(1405) resonance at leading order in a renormalizable framework of covariant chiral effective field theory. The meson-baryon scattering amplitudes, which are obtained by solving the scattering equation within time-ordered perturbation theory, follow the quark mass trajectory of the Coordinated Lattice Simulations consortium. At Mπ≈200 MeV and MK≈487 MeV, our parameter-free prediction of Λ(1405) poles is consistent with the recent lattice results of BaSc Collaboration [Phys. Rev. Lett. 132, 051901 (2024)]. Varying the pion mass from 135 MeV to 400 MeV, we present the evolution of double-pole positions of Λ(1405): the higher pole remains a resonance around the K¯N threshold; whereas the lower pole undergoes a transition from resonance to a virtual state, and ultimately to a bound state of the πΣ system, which could be verified by the forthcoming lattice QCD simulations.

Sound velocity peak induced by the chiral partner in dense two-color QCD

Recently, the peak structure of the sound velocity was observed in the lattice simulation of two-color and two-flavor QCD at the finite quark chemical potential. The comparison with the chiral perturbation theory (ChPT) result was undertaken; however, the ChPT failed in reproducing the peak structure. In this study, to extend the ChPT framework, we incorporate contributions of the σ meson, that is identified as the chiral partner of pions, on top of the low-energy pion dynamics by using the linear sigma model (LSM). Based on the LSM, we derive analytic expressions of the thermodynamic quantities as well as the sound velocity within a mean-field approximation. As a result, we find that those quantities are provided by sums of the ChPT results and corrections, where the latter is characterized by a mass difference between the chiral partners, the σ meson and pion. The chiral partner contributions are found to yield a peak in the sound velocity successfully. We furthermore show that the sound velocity peak emerges only when mσ>3mπ and μq>mπ, with mσ(π) and μq being the σ meson (pion) mass and the quark chemical potential, respectively. The correlation between the sound velocity peak and the sign of the trace anomaly is also addressed. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Deconfinement, center symmetry and the ghost propagator in Landau gauge pure SU(3) Yang-Mills theory

The temperature dependence of the Landau gauge ghost propagator is investigated in pure SU(3) Yang-Mills theory with lattice QCD simulations. Its behavior around the confined-deconfined phase transition temperature, Tc ∼ 270 MeV, is investigated. The simulations show that in the deconfined phase, the ghost propagator is enhanced for small momenta, ≲ 1 GeV. Furthermore, the analysis of the spontaneous breaking of center symmetry on the ghost propagator is studied. Similarly as observed for the gluon propagator, the simulations result in a decoupling of the sectors where the phase of the Polyakov loop is either 0 or ±2π/3 sectors, with the latter remaining indistinguishable. The results point to the possible use of the ghost propagator as an “order parameter” for the confined-deconfined phase transition.

Remnants of quark model in lattice QCD simulation in the Coulomb gauge

Remnants of quark model in lattice QCD simulation in the Coulomb gauge

All about the neutron from lattice QCD

I describe how simulations of lattice QCD using the path integral formulation provide the two basic quantum mechanical properties of QCD, its ground state in which correlation functions are calculated, and Fock state wavefunctions between which matrix elements of operators are calculated. Both constructs are stochastic, so unfortunately one gets no intuitive picture or even qualitative understanding of what they look like, nevertheless they contain and display all the subtleties of the quantum field theory. Today, these simulations provide many quantities that are impacting phenomenology and experiments. I illustrate the methods and the steps in the analysis using, as examples, three observables: the isovector charges of the nucleon, the contribution of the quark’s intrinsic spin to the nucleon spin, and the pion-nucleon sigma term.

Two-body double pole and three-body bound states: Physical and unphysical quark masses

We solve the Faddeev bound-state equations for three particles with simple two-body nonlocal, separable potentials that yield a scattering length twice as large as a positive effective range, as indicated by some lattice QCD simulations. Neglecting shape parameters, the two-body bound state is a double pole. For bosons we obtain a correlation between three- and two-body energies. For nucleons, this correlation depends additionally on the ratio of the effective ranges for the two-body S-wave channels. When this ratio takes the value suggested by lattice QCD, our three-body energy agrees well with a direct lattice determination. When this ratio takes the experimental value, we find a three-body bound state with energy close to that of the physical triton. We suggest that results could be improved systematically with distorted-wave perturbation theory around a separable potential whose form factor is an inverse square root of momentum squared.

Towards the computation of inclusive decay rates using lattice QCD

We present a non-perturbative computation of inclusive rates of semileptonic decays of heavy mesons from lattice QCD simulations. The calculation is based on the extraction of smeared spectral functions obtained from four-point Euclidean correlation functions computed on configuration ensembles of the JLQCD and ETM collaborations. We compare our results for the inclusive decay rates with analytical predictions from the operator-product expansion, finding a good agreement for the calculation of the inclusive decay rate. This opens the path to the theoretical determination of the magnitude of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element V_{cb}Vcb to a level of precision competitive with the present experimental uncertainty.

Non-zero temperature study of spin 1/2 charmed baryons using lattice gauge theory

We study the behaviour of spin 1/2 charmed baryons as the temperature increases. We make use of anisotropic lattice QCD simulations with Nf=2+1\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$N_f = 2 + 1$$\\end{document} dynamical flavours. After determining the positive and negative parity ground state masses at the lowest temperature, we investigate the effect of rising temperature using ratios of thermal lattice correlators with both so-called reconstructed correlators and with simple model correlators. This avoids difficulties associated with non-zero temperature fitting or spectral reconstruction. We find that temperature effects are prominent throughout the hadronic phase for all negative parity channels considered and for some positive parity channels. Subsequently and where possible, we determine the masses of the ground states as a function of temperature. Finally we consider the effect of chiral symmetry restoration and extract an estimate of the pseudocritical temperature from singly charmed baryonic correlators.

The chiral separation effect from lattice QCD at the physical point

In this paper we study the Chiral Separation Effect by means of first-principles lattice QCD simulations. For the first time in the literature, we determine the continuum limit of the associated conductivity using 2+1 flavors of dynamical staggered quarks at physical masses. The results reveal a suppression of the conductivity in the confined phase and a gradual enhancement toward the perturbative value for high temperatures. In addition to our dynamical setup, we also investigate the impact of the quenched approximation on the conductivity, using both staggered and Wilson quarks. Finally, we highlight the relevance of employing conserved vector and anomalous axial currents in the lattice simulations.

Hadronic Molecules with Heavy Quarks

We discuss how to decipher the nature of near-threshold exotic states from ex perimental line shapes and lattice QCD simulations. A brief overview of the effective-field-theory approach for analyzing such states is presented, highlight ing the special role played by the longest-range pion exchange interaction. The method is exemplified through an analysis of the recently discovered doubly-charm state Tcc(3875)+.

Bounding the QCD Equation of State with the Lattice

The equation of state of QCD matter at high densities is relevant for neutron star structure and for neutron star mergers and has been a focus of recent work. We show how lattice QCD simulations, free of sign problems, can provide an upper bound on the pressure as a function of quark chemical potentials. We show that at large chemical potentials this bound should become quite sharp; the difference between the upper bound on the pressure PPQ and the true pressure P is of order PPQ− P = O\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\mathcal{O} $$\\end{document}(αs3\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {\\alpha}_{\ extrm{s}}^3 $$\\end{document}P). The corrections arise from a single Feynman diagram; its calculation would render remaining corrections O\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\mathcal{O} $$\\end{document}(αs4\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {\\alpha}_{\ extrm{s}}^4 $$\\end{document}P).

Quantum simulation of lattice QCD with improved Hamiltonians

Quantum simulation of lattice QCD with improved Hamiltonians

Exploiting stochastic locality in lattice QCD: hadronic observables and their uncertainties

Because of the mass gap, lattice QCD simulations exhibit stochastic locality: distant regions of the lattice fluctuate independently. There is a long history of exploiting this to increase statistics by obtaining multiple spatially-separated samples from each gauge field; in the extreme case, we arrive at the master-field approach in which a single gauge field is used. Here we develop techniques for studying hadronic observables using position-space correlators, which are more localized, and compare with the standard time-momentum representation. We also adapt methods for estimating the variance of an observable from autocorrelated Monte Carlo samples to the case of correlated spatially-separated samples.