Symanzik Gauge Action Research Articles

Transverse-momentum-dependent wave functions of the pion from lattice QCD

We present a lattice QCD calculation of the transverse-momentum-dependent wave function (TMDWF) of the pion using large-momentum effective theory. Numerical simulations are based on one ensemble with 2+1+1 flavors of highly improved staggered quarks with lattice spacing a=0.121 fm from the MILC collaboration, and one with 2+1 flavor clover fermions and tree-level Symanzik gauge action generated by the CLS collaboration with a=0.098 fm. As a key ingredient, the soft function is first obtained by incorporating the one-loop perturbative contributions and a proper normalization. Based on this and the equal-time quasi-TMDWF simulated on the lattice, we extract the TMDWF. The results for both lattice ensembles are compatible and a comparison with a phenomenological parametrization is made. Our studies provide a first attempt of calculation of TMDWFs which will eventually lead to crucial theory inputs for making predictions for exclusive processes under QCD factorization. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Quark masses and low-energy constants in the continuum from the tadpole-improved clover ensembles

We present the light-flavor quark masses and low-energy constants using the 2+1 flavor full-QCD ensembles with stout smeared-clover fermion action and Symanzik gauge action. Both the fermion and gauge actions are tadpole improved self-consistently. The simulations are performed on 11 ensembles at three lattice spacings a∈[0.05,0.11] fm, four spatial sizes L∈[2.5,5.1] fm, seven pion masses mπ∈[135,350] MeV, and several values of the strange quark mass. The quark mass is defined through the partially conserved axial current relation and renormalized to MS¯(2 GeV) through the intermediate regularization independent momentum subtraction scheme. The systematic uncertainty of using the symmetric momentum subtraction scheme is also included. Eventually, we predict mu=2.45(22)(20) MeV, md=4.74(11)(09) MeV, and ms=98.8(2.9)(4.7) MeV with the systematic uncertainties from lattice spacing determination, continuum extrapolation and renormalization constant included. We also obtain the chiral condensate Σ1/3=268.6(3.6)(0.7) MeV and the pion decay constant F=86.6(7)(1.4) MeV in the Nf=2 chiral limit, and the next-to-leading order low-energy constants ℓ3=2.43(54)(05) and ℓ4=4.322(75)(96). Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Flux tubes in full QCD at high temperature

Chromoelectric and chromomagnetic field and energy density distributions produced by a quark-antiquark pair have been investigated in the presence of dynamical fermions in the close vicinity to the deconfinement phase transition. In our lattice simulation we have used highly improved staggered quark action and tree level improved Symanzik gauge (HISQ/tree) action on the lattices of two different sizes, exploiting the Gradient flow method for noise reduction. We find that, in full QCD with dynamical quarks, the dynamical fermions widen the flux tube in a short separation range of about R = 1 fm, after which an hadronization takes place due to the suppression by the dynamical fermions. Energy density and width of the flux tube vanish at about R = 1.8 fm and R = 1.5 fm, respectively, at all temperatures. The present results also suggest that the flux tube structure still persists in the deconfined phase and it melts gradually after certain temperature value is reached above the critical temperature.

Determination of the charm quark mass in lattice QCD with 2 + 1 flavours on fine lattices

We present a determination of the charm quark mass in lattice QCD with three active quark flavours. The calculation is based on PCAC masses extracted from Nf = 2 + 1 flavour gauge field ensembles at five different lattice spacings in a range from 0.087 fm down to 0.039 fm. The lattice action consists of the O(a) improved Wilson-clover action and a tree-level improved Symanzik gauge action. Quark masses are non-perturbatively O(a) improved employing the Symanzik-counterterms available for this discretisation of QCD. To relate the bare mass at a specified low-energy scale with the renormalisation group invariant mass in the continuum limit, we use the non-pertubatively known factors that account for the running of the quark masses as well as for their renormalisation at hadronic scales. We obtain the renormalisation group invariant charm quark mass at the physical point of the three-flavour theory to be Mc = 1486(21) MeV. Combining this result with five-loop perturbation theory and the corresponding decoupling relations in the overline{mathrm{MS}} scheme, one arrives at a result for the renormalisation group invariant charm quark mass in the four-flavour theory of Mc(Nf = 4) = 1548(23) MeV, where effects associated with the absence of a charmed, sea quark in the non-perturbative evaluation of the QCD path integral are not accounted for. In the overline{mathrm{MS}} scheme, and at finite energy scales conventional in phenomenology, we quote {m}_{mathrm{c}}^{overline{mathrm{MS}}} ( {m}_{mathrm{c}}^{overline{mathrm{MS}}} ; Nf = 4) = 1296(19) MeV and {m}_{mathrm{c}}^{overline{mathrm{MS}}} (3 GeV; Nf = 4) = 1007(16) MeV for the renormalised charm quark mass.

Gradient flow step-scaling function for SU(3) with ten fundamental flavors

We calculate the step-scaling function, the lattice analog of the renormalization group $\ensuremath{\beta}$-function, for an SU(3) gauge theory with ten fundamental flavors. We present a detailed analysis including the study of systematic effects of our extensive data set generated with ten dynamical flavors using the Symanzik gauge action and three times stout smeared M\"obius domain wall fermions. Using up to ${32}^{4}$ volumes, we calculate renormalized couplings for different gradient flow schemes and determine the step-scaling $\ensuremath{\beta}$ function for a scale change $s=2$ on up to five different lattice volume pairs. In an accompanying paper we discuss that gradient flow can promote lattice dislocations to instantonlike objects, introducing nonperturbative lattice artifacts to the step-scaling function. Motivated by the observation that Wilson flow sufficiently suppresses these artifacts, we choose Wilson flow with the Symanzik operator as our preferred analysis. We study systematic effects by calculating the step-scaling function based on alternative flows (Zeuthen or Symanzik), alternative operators (Wilson plaquette, clover), and also explore the effects of the perturbative tree-level improvement. Further we investigate the effects due to the finite value of ${L}_{s}$.

Gradient flow step-scaling function for SU(3) with twelve flavors

We calculate the step scaling function, the lattice analog of the renormalization group $\beta$-function, for an SU(3) gauge theory with twelve flavors. The gauge coupling of this system runs very slowly, which is reflected in a small step scaling function, making numerical simulations particularly challenging. We present a detailed analysis including the study of systematic effects of our extensive data set generated with twelve dynamical flavors using the Symanzik gauge action and three times stout smeared M\"obius domain wall fermions. Using up to $32^4$ volumes, we calculate renormalized couplings for different gradient flow schemes and determine the step-scaling $\beta$ function for a scale change $s=2$ on up to five different lattice volume pairs. Our preferred analysis is fully $O(a^2)$ Symanzik improved and uses Zeuthen flow combined with the Symanzik operator. We find an infrared fixed point within the range $5.2 \le g_c^2 \le 6.4$ in the $c=0.250$ finite volume gradient flow scheme. We account for systematic effects by calculating the step-scaling function based on alternative flows (Wilson or Symanzik) as well as operators (Wilson plaquette, clover) and also explore the effects of the perturbative tree-level improvement.

Nonperturbative determination of β functions for SU(3) gauge theories with 10 and 12 fundamental flavors using domain wall fermions

Nonperturbative lattice field theory simulations provide a systematic framework to investigate properties of conformal systems at strong couplings. These simulations can be performed using different lattice discretizations. Here we present numerical results for the step scaling beta function in SU(3) gauge theories with ten and twelve fundamental flavors. We calculate the renormalized β function in the finite volume gradient flow renormalization scheme. Using Möbius domain wall fermions with Symanzik gauge action, Zeuthen gradient flow, and perturbative tree-level improvement, we implement a fully O(a2) Symanzik improved set-up and demonstrate its advantages. We compare our findings to existing results in the literature. For the ten flavor system we observe excellent agreement with the domain wall step-scaling function calculated by Chiu for the range in gc2 where our data overlap. In the case of the twelve flavor system, our O(a2) Symanzik improved set-up predicts a conformal infrared fixed point around gc2∼5.5 in the c=0.25 scheme, which is presently in tension with staggered fermion results in the literature. We consider possible reasons for the discrepancy.

Curvature of the pseudocritical line in QCD: Taylor expansion matches analytic continuation

We determine the curvature of the pseudo-critical line of $N_f = 2 + 1$ QCD with physical quark masses via Taylor expansion in the quark chemical potentials. We adopt a discretization based on stout improved staggered fermions and the tree level Symanzik gauge action; the location of the pseudocritical temperature is based on chiral symmetry restoration. Simulations are performed on lattices with different temporal extent ($N_t = 6, 8, 10$), leading to a continuum extrapolated curvature $\kappa = 0.0145(25)$, which is in very good agreement with the continuum extrapolation obtained via analytic continuation and the same discretization, $\kappa = 0.0135(20)$. This result eliminates the possible tension emerging when comparing analytic continuation with earlier results obtained via Taylor expansion.

Higher order quark number fluctuations via imaginary chemical potentials in Nf=2+1 QCD

We discuss analytic continuation as a tool to extract the cumulants of the quark number fluctuations in the strongly interacting medium from lattice QCD simulations at imaginary chemical potentials. The method is applied to $N_f = 2+1$ QCD, discretized with stout improved staggered fermions, physical quark masses and the tree level Symanzik gauge action, exploring temperatures ranging from 135 up to 350 MeV and adopting mostly lattices with $N_t = 8$ sites in the temporal direction. The method is based on a global fit of various cumulants as a function of the imaginary chemical potentials. We show that it is particularly convenient to consider cumulants up to order two, and that below $T_c$ the method can be advantageous, with respect to a direct Montecarlo sampling at $\mu = 0$, for the determination of generalized susceptibilities of order four or higher, and especially for mixed susceptibilities, for which the gain is well above one order of magnitude. We provide cumulants up to order eight, which are then used to discuss the radius of convergence of the Taylor expansion and the possible location of the second order critical point at real $\mu$: no evidence for such a point is found in the explored range of $T$ and for chemical potentials within present determinations of the pseudo-critical line.

Isovector charges of the nucleon from 2+1 -flavor QCD with clover fermions

We present high-statistics estimates of the isovector charges of the nucleon from four 2+1-flavor ensembles generated using Wilson-clover fermions with stout smearing and tree-level tadpole improved Symanzik gauge action at lattice spacings $a=0.114$ and $0.080$ fm and with $M_\pi \approx 315$ and 200 MeV. The truncated solver method with bias correction and the coherent source sequential propagator construction are used to cost-effectively achieve $O(10^5)$ measurements on each ensemble. Using these data, the analysis of two-point correlation functions is extended to include four states in the fits and of three-point functions to three states. Control over excited-state contamination in the calculation of the nucleon mass, the mass gaps between excited states, and in the matrix elements is demonstrated by the consistency of estimates using this multistate analysis of the spectral decomposition of the correlation functions and from simulations of the three-point functions at multiple values of the source-sink separation. The results for all three charges, $g_A$, $g_S$ and $g_T$, are in good agreement with calculations done using the clover-on-HISQ lattice formulation with similar values of the lattice parameters.

Roberge-Weiss endpoint at the physical point ofNf=2+1QCD

We study the phase diagram of $N_f = 2+1$ QCD in the $T - \mu_B$ plane and investigate the critical point corresponding to the onset of the Roberge-Weiss transition, which is found for imaginary values of $\mu_B$. We make use of stout improved staggered fermions and of the tree level Symanzik gauge action, and explore four different sets of lattice spacings, corresponding to $N_t = 4,6,8,10$, and different spatial sizes, in order to assess the universality class of the critical point. The continuum extrapolated value of the endpoint temperature is found to be $T_{\rm RW} = 208(5)$ MeV, i.e. $T_{\rm RW}/T_c \sim 1.34(7)$, where $T_c$ is the chiral pseudocritical temperature at zero chemical potential, while our finite size scaling analysis, performed on $N_t = 4$ and $N_t = 6$ lattices, provides evidence for a critical point in the $3d$ Ising universality class.

An exploratory study of heavy domain wall fermions on the lattice

We report on an exploratory study of domain wall fermions (DWF) as a lattice regularisation for heavy quarks. Within the framework of quenched QCD with the tree-level improved Symanzik gauge action we identify the DWF parameters which minimise discretisation effects. We find the corresponding effective 4$d$ overlap operator to be exponentially local, independent of the quark mass. We determine a maximum bare heavy quark mass of $am_h\approx 0.4$, below which the approximate chiral symmetry and O(a)-improvement of DWF are sustained. This threshold appears to be largely independent of the lattice spacing. Based on these findings, we carried out a detailed scaling study for the heavy-strange meson dispersion relation and decay constant on four ensembles with lattice spacings in the range $2.0-5.7\,\mathrm{GeV}$. We observe very mild $a^2$ scaling towards the continuum limit. Our findings establish a sound basis for heavy DWF in dynamical simulations of lattice QCD with relevance to Standard Model phenomenology.

Curvature of the chiral pseudocritical line in QCD: Continuum extrapolated results

We determine the curvature of the pseudo-critical line of strong interactions by means of numerical simulations at imaginary chemical potentials. We consider $N_f=2+1$ stout improved staggered fermions with physical quark masses and the tree level Symanzik gauge action, and explore four different sets of lattice spacings, corresponding to $N_t = 6,8,10,12$, in order to extrapolate results to the continuum limit. Our final estimate is $\kappa = 0.0135(20)$.

Curvature of the chiral pseudocritical line in QCD

We determine the curvature of the pseudo-critical line of strong interactions by means of numerical simulations at imaginary chemical potentials. We consider $N_f=2+1$ stout improved staggered fermions with physical quark masses and the tree level Symanzik gauge action, and explore two different sets of lattice spacings, corresponding to temporal extensions $N_t = 6$ and $N_t = 8$. Both the renormalized chiral condensate and the renormalized chiral susceptibility are used to locate the transition. The determinations obtained from the two quantities are in good agreement, a preliminary continuum extrapolation yields $\kappa = 0.013(2)(1)$. We also investigate the impact of a non-zero strange quark chemical potential and compare our results to previous determinations in the literature, discussing the possible sources of systematic errors affecting the various procedures.

One-loop matching of improved four-fermion staggered operators with an improved gluon action

We present results for one-loop matching factors of four-fermion operators composed of HYP-smeared staggered fermions. We generalize previous calculations by using the tree-level improved Symanzik gauge action. These results are needed for our companion numerical calculation of $B_K$ and related matrix elements. We find that the impact on one-loop matching factors of using the improved gluon action is much smaller than that from the use of either HYP smearing or mean-field improvement. The one-loop coefficients for mean-field improved, HYP-smeared operators with the Symanzik gauge action have a maximum magnitude of $O(1)\times \alpha_s$, indicating that perturbation theory is reasonably convergent.

Pseudoscalar decay constants of kaon andD-mesons fromNf= 2 twisted mass Lattice QCD

We present the results of a lattice QCD calculation of the pseudoscalar meson decay constants fpi, fK, fD and fDs, performed with Nf=2 dynamical fermions. The simulation is carried out with the tree-level improved Symanzik gauge action and with the twisted mass fermionic action at maximal twist. We have considered for the final analysis three values of the lattice spacing, a~0.10 fm, 0.09 fm and 0.07 fm, with pion masses down to mpi~270 MeV. Our results for the light meson decay constants are fK=158.1(2.4) MeV and fK/fpi=1.210(18). From the latter ratio, by using the experimental determination of Gamma(K-->mu nu_mu (gamma))/ Gamma(pi--> mu nu_mu (gamma)) and the average value of |Vud| from nuclear beta decays, we obtain |Vus|=0.2222(34), in good agreement with the determination from semileptonic Kl3 decays and the unitarity constraint. For the D and Ds meson decay constants we obtain fD=197(9) MeV, fDs=244(8) MeV and fDs/fD=1.24(3). Our result for fD is in good agreement with the CLEO experimental measurement. For fDs our determination is smaller than the PDG 2008 experimental average but in agreement with a recent improved measurement by CLEO at the 1.4 sigma level.