Chiral Symmetry Restoration Research Articles

Recent progresses on QCD phases in a strong magnetic field: views from Nambu–Jona-Lasinio model

In this review, we summarize recent progress on the possible phases of quantum chromodynamics (QCD) in the presence of a strong magnetic field, mainly from the views of the chiral effective Nambu--Jona-Lasinio model. Four kinds of phase transitions are explored in detail: chiral symmetry breaking and restoration, neutral pseudoscalar superfluidity, charged pion superfluidity and charged rho superconductivity. In particular, we revisit the unsolved problems of inverse magnetic catalysis effect and competition between the chiral density wave and solitonic modulation phases. It is shown that useful results can be obtained by adopting self-consistent schemes.

Novel pentaquark picture for singly heavy baryons from chiral symmetry

We propose a new type of structure for singly heavy baryons of $Qqq\overline{q}q$ in addition to the conventional one of $Qqq$. Based on chiral symmetry of the light quarks, we show that the $Qqq\overline{q}q$ baryon offers a novel picture for heavy-quark spin-singlet and flavor-antisymmetric baryons. By making use of the effective Lagrangian approach, we find that ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{c}(2765)$ and ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Xi}}}_{c}(2967)$ are mostly $Qqq\overline{q}q$, while ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{c}(2286)$ and ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Xi}}}_{c}(2470)$ are mostly $Qqq$. The masses of negative-parity baryons are predicted. We also derive a sum rule and the extended Goldberger-Treiman relation that the masses of the baryons satisfy. Furthermore, a mass degeneracy of parity partners of the baryons with the restoration of chiral symmetry is discussed. These are the unique features that the conventional picture of radial excitation in the quark model does not accommodate. Our findings provide useful information not only for future experiments but also for future lattice simulations on diquarks.

Degeneracy Patterns of Chiral Companions at Finite Temperature

Chiral symmetry represents a fundamental concept lying at the core of particle and nuclear physics. Its spontaneous breaking in vacuum can be exploited to distinguish chiral hadronic partners, whose masses differ. In fact, the features of this breaking serve as guiding principles for the construction of effective approaches of QCD at low energies, e.g., the chiral perturbation theory, the linear sigma model, the (Polyakov)–Nambu–Jona-Lasinio model, etc. At high temperatures/densities chiral symmetry can be restored bringing the chiral partners to be nearly degenerated in mass. At vanishing baryochemical potential, such restoration follows a smooth transition, and the chiral companions reach this degeneration above the transition temperature. In this work I review how different realizations of chiral partner degeneracy arise in different effective theories/models of QCD. I distinguish the cases where the chiral states are either fundamental degrees of freedom or (dynamically-generated) composed states. In particular, I discuss the intriguing case in which chiral symmetry restoration involves more than two chiral partners, recently addressed in the literature.

Thermal properties of light mesons from holography

The thermal properties of light mesons, including the temperature dependence of their masses (both screening and pole masses) and thermal widths, are studied in a two-flavor (Nf = 2) soft-wall AdS/QCD model. By solving the spatial correlation functions, we extract the screening masses (mscr) from their poles. The screening masses of pseudo-scalar (π) and axial-vector (a1) mesons increase almost monotonously with the increase of temperature. The screening masses of scalar (σ) and vector (ρ) mesons decrease at low temperature and increase at high temperature. The pole masses (mpole) and the thermal widths (Γ) are extracted from the temporal correlation functions and the corresponding spectral functions. The results indicate that the pole masses have local minima at low temperature and increase at high temperature. The thermal widths increase rapidly above the chiral crossover temperature Tcp, indicating the dissociations of mesons at high temperature. Furthermore, the degeneration of the chiral partners (π and σ, ρ and a1) above Tcp is observed from the screening and pole masses, revealing the chiral symmetry restoration at the hadronic spectrum level. Finally, we numerically verify that the spectral functions in the temporal regime are strongly related to the quasi-normal modes with complex frequencies ω0 = mpole− iΓ/2.

Chiral symmetry restoration and deconfinement in the contact interaction model of quarks with parallel electric and magnetic fields

We study the impact of steady, homogeneous, and external parallel electric and magnetic field strengths ( ) on the chiral symmetry breaking-restoration and confinement-deconfinement phase transition. We also sketch the phase diagram of quantum chromodynamics (QCD) at a finite temperature T and in the presence of background fields. The unified formalism for this study is based on the Schwinger-Dyson equations, symmetry preserving vector-vector contact interaction model of quarks, and an optimal time regularization scheme. At , in the purely magnetic case (i.e., ), we observe the well-known magnetic catalysis effect. However, in a pure electric field background ( ), the electric field tends to restore the chiral symmetry and deconfinement above the pseudo-critical electric field . In the presence of both and , we determine the magnetic catalysis effect in the particular region where dominates over , whereas we observe the chiral inhibition (or electric chiral rotation) effect when overshadows eB. At finite T, in the pure electric field case, the phenomenon of inverse electric catalysis appears to exist in the proposed model. Conversely, for a pure magnetic field background, we observe the magnetic catalysis effect in the mean-field approximation and inverse magnetic catalysis with -dependent coupling. The combined effects of and on the pseudo-critical yields an inverse electromagnetic catalysis, with and without an -dependent effective coupling of the model. The findings of this study agree well with the already predicted results obtained via lattice simulations and other reliable effective models of QCD.

Localization of Dirac Fermions in Finite-Temperature Gauge Theory

It is by now well established that Dirac fermions coupled to non-Abelian gauge theories can undergo an Anderson-type localization transition. This transition affects eigenmodes in the lowest part of the Dirac spectrum, the ones most relevant to the low-energy physics of these models. Here we review several aspects of this phenomenon, mostly using the tools of lattice gauge theory. In particular, we discuss how the transition is related to the finite-temperature transitions leading to the deconfinement of fermions, as well as to the restoration of chiral symmetry that is spontaneously broken at low temperature. Other topics we touch upon are the universality of the transition, and its connection to topological excitations (instantons) of the gauge field and the associated fermionic zero modes. While the main focus is on Quantum Chromodynamics, we also discuss how the localization transition appears in other related models with different fermionic contents (including the quenched approximation), gauge groups, and in different space-time dimensions. Finally, we offer some speculations about the physical relevance of the localization transition in these models.

Symmetry potentials and in-medium nucleon-nucleon cross sections within the Nambu–Jona-Lasinio model in relativistic impulse approximation

In the relativistic impulse approximation (RIA), we study symmetry potentials and in-medium nucleon-nucleon (NN) cross sections with the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model that features chiral symmetry. The chiral symmetry that plays a fundamental role in the nonperturbative physics in the strong interaction is anticipated to add restrictive effects on the symmetry potentials and in-medium NN cross sections. For comparison, we also perform the study with the usual relativistic mean-field (RMF) model. The numerical results with the NJL and RMF models are similar at saturation density and below, since a priori fit was made to saturation properties. With the increase of nuclear density, the chiral symmetry starts to be restored partially in the NJL model, resulting in the explicit fall of the scalar density. In a large energy span, the symmetry potential acquires a significant rise for the partial restoration of the chiral symmetry, compared to the one with the RMF model. It is found that the in-medium NN cross sections in the RIA with the NJL and RMF models both increase with the density in the energy region interested in this study, whereas those with the NJL model increase sharply as long as a clear chiral symmetry restoration takes place. The different tendency of observables in density can be transmitted to the different energy dependence in the RIA. The NJL model is shown to have characteristic energy-dependent symmetry potentials and NN cross sections beyond saturation point, apart from the RMF models.

A finite box as a tool to distinguish free quarks from confinement at high temperatures

Above the pseudocritical temperature T_c of chiral symmetry restoration a chiral spin symmetry (a symmetry of the color charge and of electric confinement) emerges in QCD. This implies that QCD is in a confining mode and there are no free quarks. At the same time correlators of operators constrained by a conserved current behave as if quarks were free. This explains observed fluctuations of conserved charges and the absence of the rho-like structures seen via dileptons. An independent evidence that one is in a confining mode is very welcome. Here we suggest a new tool how to distinguish free quarks from a confining mode. If we put the system into a finite box, then if the quarks are free one necessarily obtains a remarkable diffractive pattern in the propagator of a conserved current. This pattern is clearly seen in a lattice calculation in a finite box and it vanishes in the infinite volume limit as well as in the continuum. In contrast, the full QCD calculations in a finite box show the absence of the diffractive pattern implying that the quarks are confined.

Light quarks at finite temperature: chiral restoration and the fate of the $$U(1)_A$$ symmetry

We review recent results on the role of light quark states within the QCD phase diagram. In particular, we will discuss how the combined use of theoretical techniques such as Effective Theories, Unitarization and Ward Identities helps to shed light on several important issues regarding chiral symmetry restoration, building bridges with recent lattice analyses. Special attention will be paid to the role of chiral and $U(1)_A$ partners in the interplay between those symmetries, which is crucial to properly understand the transition pattern. Light scalar mesons at finite temperature will be shown to be responsible for the description of susceptibilities encoding chiral and $U(1)_A$ restoration properties.

Chiral phase transitions of helical matter

We study the thermodynamics of helical matter, namely quark matter in which a net helicity, $n_H$, is in equilibrium. Interactions are modeled by the renormalized quark-meson model with two flavors of quarks. Helical density is described within the grand-canonical ensemble formalism via a chemical potential, $\mu_H$. We study the transitions from the normal quark matter and hadron gas to the helical matter, drawing the phase diagram at zero temperature. We study the restoration of chiral symmetry at finite temperature and show that the net helical density softens the transition, moving the critical endpoint to lower temperature and higher baryon chemical potential. Finally, we discuss briefly the effect of a rigid rotation on the helical matter, in particular on the fluctuations of $n_H$, and show that these are enhanced by the rotation.

K1/K⁎ enhancement as a signature of chiral symmetry restoration in heavy ion collisions

Based on the fact that the mass difference between the chiral partners is an order parameter of chiral phase transition and that the chiral order parameter reduces substantially at the chemical freeze-out point in ultra-relativistic heavy ion collisions, we argue that the production ratio of K1 over K⁎ in such collisions should be substantially larger than that predicted in the statistical hadronization model. We further show that while the enhancement effect might be contaminated by the relatively larger decrease of K1 meson than K⁎ meson during the hadronic phase, the signal will be visible through a systematic study on centrality as the kinetic freeze-out temperature is higher and the hadronic life time shorter in peripheral collisions than in central collisions.

Flavor, temperature and magnetic field dependence of the QCD phase diagram: magnetic catalysis and its inverse

We study dynamical chiral symmetry breaking for quarks in the fundamental representation of SU(N c) for the N f number of light quark flavors. We also investigate the phase diagram of quantum chromodynamics at finite temperature T and/or in the presence of a constant external magnetic field eB. The unified formalism for this analysis is provided by a symmetry-preserving Schwinger–Dyson equation treatment of a vector × vector contact interaction model which encodes several well-established features of quantum chromodynamics to mimic the latter as closely as possible. Deconfinement and chiral symmetry restoration are triggered above a critical value of N f at T = 0 = eB. On the other hand, increasing temperature itself screens strong interactions, thus ensuring that a smaller value of N f is sufficient to restore chiral symmetry at higher temperatures. We also observe the well-known phenomenon of magnetic catalysis for a strong enough magnetic field. However, we note that if the effective coupling strength of the model decreases as a function of magnetic field, it can trigger inverse magnetic catalysis in a certain window of this functional dependence. Our model allows for the simultaneous onset of dynamical chiral symmetry breaking and confinement for each case. Qualitative as well as quantitative predictions of our simple but effective model are in reasonably satisfactory agreement with lattice results and other reliable and refined predictions based upon intricate continuum studies of quantum chromodynamics.

In medium properties of an axion within a 2+1 flavor Polyakov loop enhanced Nambu–Jona-Lasinio model

We estimate the axion properties i.e. its mass, topological susceptibility and the self-coupling within the framework of Polyakov loop enhanced Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (PNJL) model at finite temperature and quark chemical potential. PNJL model, where quarks couple simultaneously to the chiral condensate and to a background temporal quantum chromodynamics (QCD) gauge field, includes two important features of QCD phase transition, i.e. deconfinement and chiral symmetry restoration. The Polyakov loop in PNJL model plays an important role near the critical temperature. We have shown significant difference in the axion properties calculated in PNJL model compared to the same obtained using Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model. We find that both the mass of the axion and its self-coupling are correlated with the chiral transition as well as the confinement-deconfinement transition. We have also estimated the axion properties at finite chemical potential. Across the QCD transition temperature and/or quark chemical potential axion mass and its self-coupling also changes significantly. Since the PNJL model includes both the fermionic sector and the gauge fields, it can give reliable estimates of the axion properties, i.e. it's mass and the self-coupling in a hot and dense QCD medium. We also compare our results with the lattice QCD results whenever available.

Quark Cluster Expansion Model for Interpreting Finite-T Lattice QCD Thermodynamics

In this work, we present a unified approach to the thermodynamics of hadron–quark–gluon matter at finite temperatures on the basis of a quark cluster expansion in the form of a generalized Beth–Uhlenbeck approach with a generic ansatz for the hadronic phase shifts that fulfills the Levinson theorem. The change in the composition of the system from a hadron resonance gas to a quark–gluon plasma takes place in the narrow temperature interval of 150–190 MeV, where the Mott dissociation of hadrons is triggered by the dropping quark mass as a result of the restoration of chiral symmetry. The deconfinement of quark and gluon degrees of freedom is regulated by the Polyakov loop variable that signals the breaking of the Z(3) center symmetry of the color SU(3) group of QCD. We suggest a Polyakov-loop quark–gluon plasma model with O(αs) virial correction and solve the stationarity condition of the thermodynamic potential (gap equation) for the Polyakov loop. The resulting pressure is in excellent agreement with lattice QCD simulations up to high temperatures.

Sensitivity of the Polyakov loop and related observables to chiral symmetry restoration

While the Polyakov loop is an order parameter of the deconfinement transition in the heavy quark mass regime of QCD, its sensitivity to the deconfinement of light, dynamical quarks in QCD is not apparent. On the other hand, the quark mass dependence of the Polyakov loop is sensitive to the appearance of a chiral phase transition. Using lattice QCD calculations in the staggered fermion discretization scheme at finite values of the lattice spacing, $aT = 1/8$, we show here, for the first time, that the Polyakov loop expectation value, and the heavy quark free energy extracted from it, behave like energy-like observables in the vicinity of the chiral phase transition temperature $T_c$. Consistent with scaling behavior of energy-like observables in the 3-$d$, O(2) universality class, the quark mass derivatives diverge in the chiral limit at $T_c$ while the temperature derivatives stay finite. The latter will develop a characteristic spike at $T_c$. This, however, may be resolved only in calculations with quark masses being two orders of magnitude smaller than those currently accessible in lattice QCD calculations.

Effect of momentum anisotropy on quark matter in the quark-meson model * *Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (11935007) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2020CXZZ107)

We investigate the chiral phase structure of quark matter with spheroidal momentum-space anisotropy specified by one anisotropy parameter in the 2+1 flavor quark-meson model. We find that the chiral phase diagram and the location of the critical endpoint (CEP) are significantly affected by the value of . With an increase in , the CEP is shifted to lower temperatures and higher quark chemical potentials. In addition, the temperature of the CEP is more sensitive to the anisotropy parameter than the corresponding quark chemical potential, which is the opposite to that from the finite system volume effect. The effects of the momentum anisotropy on the thermodynamic properties and scalar (pseudoscalar) meson masses are also studied at the vanishing quark chemical potential. The numerical results reveal that an increase in can hinder the restoration of chiral symmetry. We also find that shear viscosity and electrical conductivity decrease as increases. However, the bulk viscosity exhibits a significant non-trivial behavior with in the entire temperature domain of interest.

Restoration of chiral symmetry in cold and dense Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model with tensor renormalization group

We analyze the chiral phase transition of the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model in the cold and dense region on the lattice, developing the Grassmann version of the anisotropic tensor renormalization group algorithm. The model is formulated with the Kogut-Susskind fermion action. We use the chiral condensate as an order parameter to investigate the restoration of the chiral symmetry. The first-order chiral phase transition is clearly observed in the dense region at vanishing temperature with μ/T ∼ O(103) on a large volume of V = 10244. We also present the results for the equation of state.

Unified Quark–Hadron EoS and Critical Endpoint in the QCD Phase Diagram

We present a recent development towards a unified description of quark-hadron matter in the QCD phase diagram that is based on a cluster decomposition of the generalized Beth-Uhlenbeck approach to quark matter, selfconsistently coupled to Polyakov-loop and mesonic background fields. The Mott dissociation of hadrons under extreme conditions of temperature and density is triggered by chiral symmetry restoration and confining aspects are modeled by the coupling to the background mean fields. First results for the QCD phase diagram with the capability to describe critical endpoints as well as crossover-all-over are presented and an excellent agreement with lattice QCD on the temperature axis is obtained.

A Universal Binding Mechanism in Molecular Covalent Bonding and Nucleon-Nucleon Interaction

In the hydrogen molecular ion, the kinetic energy lowering of the electron is associated with its delocalization due to electron exchange between the two protons of the molecule. This decrease in the kinetic energy of the exchanged electron in the hydrogen molecular ion and the decrease in the dynamical mass of the two exchanged pions in the nucleon-nucleon interaction are at the origin of the attraction mechanism in the molecular covalent bonding and in the nuclear interaction. Based on this unitary approach of the attraction mechanism, the formulas of molecular potential and central nucleon-nucleon potential were derived. The decrease in the mass of the exchanged pions in the nucleon-nucleon bound state, actually means the decrease in the mass of the nucleons. This nucleon mass decrease could be a manifestation of the partial chiral symmetry restoration in nuclear matter.

Sensitivity of the Polyakov Loop to Chiral Symmetry Restoration

In the heavy, static quark mass regime of QCD, the Polyakov loop is well known to be an order parameter of the deconfinement phase transition; however, the sensitivity of the Polyakov loop to the deconfinement of light, dynamical quarks is less clear. On the other hand, from the perspective of an effective Lagrangian written in the vicinity of the chiral transition, the Polyakov loop is an energy-like operator and should hence scale as any energy-like operator would. We show here that the Polyakov loop and heavy-quark free energy are sensitive to the chiral transition, i.e. their scaling is consistent with energy-like observables in 3-$d$ $O(N)$ universality classes.