We study the relation between center vortex fluxes and monopole fluxes for $SU(2)$ gauge group in a model. This model is the same as thick center vortex model but we use monopole-antimonopole configurations instead of center vortices in the vacuum. Monopole-antimonopole configurations are line-like similar to center vortices. The group factor and potential for the fundamental representation of these configurations are studied and compared with those of center vortices. As a result, we obtain monopole-vortex chains which appear in lattice Monte Carlo simulations, as well. If these monopole-vortex chains intersect the large Wilson loop in two points, screening is observed for the potential in the fundamental representation at large distances and confinement is observed when one leg of the chain intersects the Wilson loop.
We study the correlations between center vortices and Abelian monopoles for SU($3$) gauge group. Combining fractional fluxes of monopoles, center vortex fluxes are constructed in the thick center vortex model. Calculating the potentials induced by fractional fluxes constructing the center vortex flux in a thick center vortex-like model and comparing with the potential induced by center vortices, we observe an attraction between fractional fluxes of monopoles constructing the center vortex flux. We conclude that the center vortex flux is stable, as expected. In addition, we show that adding a c…
We study the relation between the flux of a center vortex obtained from the center vortex model and the flux formed between monopoles obtained from the Abelian gauge fixing method. Motivated by the Monte Carlo simulations which have shown that almost all monopoles are sitting on the top of vortices, we construct the fluxes of center vortices for $SU(2)$ and $SU(3)$ gauge groups using fractional fluxes of monopoles. Then, we compute the potentials in the fundamental representation induced by center vortices and fractional fluxes of monopoles. We show that by combining the fractional fluxes of m…
Our understanding of the mechanism by which topological defects are formed in symmetry breaking phase transitions has recently changed. We examine the non-equilibrium dynamics of defect formation for weakly-coupled global O(N) theories possessing vortices (strings) and monopoles. It is seen that, as domains form and grow, defects are swept along on their boundaries at a density of about one defect per coherence area (strings) or per coherence volume (monopoles).
We discuss the large-distance approximation of the monopole-vortex complex soliton in a hierarchically broken gauge system, SU(N+1) - > SU(N) x U(1) - > 1, in a color-flavor locked SU(N) symmetric vacuum. The ('t Hooft-Polyakov) monopole of the higher-mass-scale breaking appears as a point and acts as a source of the thin vortex generated by the lower-energy gauge symmetry breaking. The exact color-flavor diagonal symmetry of the bulk system is broken by each individual soliton, leading to nonAbelian orientational CP^{N-1} zeromodes propagating in the vortex worldsheet, well studied in the lit…
In the context of softly broken N=2 supersymmetric quantum chromodynamics (SQCD), with a hierarchical gauge symmetry breaking SU(N+1) -> U(N) -> 1, at scales v1 and v2, respectively, where v1 >> v2, we construct monopole-vortex complex soliton-like solutions and examine their properties. They represent the minimum of the static energy under the constraint that the monopole and antimonopole positions sitting at the extremes of the vortex are kept fixed. They interpolate the 't Hooft-Polyakov-like regular monopole solution near the monopole centers and a vortex solution far from them and in betw…
It is known that monopoles can be confined by vortex-strings in d=3+1 while vortices can be confined by domain-lines in d=2+1. Here, as a higher dimensional generalization of these, we show that Yang-Mills instantons can be confined by monopole-strings in d=4+1. We achieve this by putting the system into the Higgs phase in which the configuration can be constructed inside a non-Abelian vortex sheet.
The confining and topological properties of the compact Abelian Higgs model with doubly-charged Higgs field in three space-time dimensions are studied. We consider the London limit of the model. We show that the monopoles are forming chain-like structures (kept together by ANO vortices) the presence of which is essential for getting simultaneously permanent confinement of singly-charged particles and breaking of the string spanned between doubly-charged particles. In the confinement phase the chains are forming percolating clusters while in the deconfinement (Higgs) phase the chains are of fin…
We consider full non-Abelian, Abelian and center projected lattice field configurations built up from random instanton gas configurations in the continuum. We study the instanton contribution to the $\bar{Q}Q$ force with respect to ({\it i}) instanton density dependence, ({\it ii}) Casimir scaling and ({\it iii}) whether various versions of Abelian dominance hold. We check that the dilute gas formulation for the interaction potential gives an reliable approximation only for densities small compared to the phenomenological value. We find that Casimir scaling does not hold, confirming earlier st…
We show that the degrees of freedom associated with magnetic monopole- and vortexlike gluonic configurations make a strong contribution to the anomaly of the energy-momentum tensor of Yang-Mills theory in the deconfinement phase immediately above the critical temperature. As is well known in zero-temperature Yang-Mills theory, the monopoles and vortices are constituents of a generic gluonic object in which the two neighbor monopoles are connected together by a segment of vortex string. Our results provide evidence that the monopole-vortex chains in SU(2) gauge theory and their SU(3) counterpar…
We clarify relations among topological solitons in various dimensions: a domain wall, non-Abelian vortex, magnetic monopole and Yang-Mills instanton, together with a (non-Abelian) sine-Gordon soliton, baby Skyrmion (lump) and Skyrmion. We construct a composite configuration consisting of a domain wall, vortex, magnetic monopole and Yang-Mills instanton (wall-vortex-monopole-instanton) using the effective theory technique or moduli approximation. Removing some solitons from such a composite, we obtain all possible composite solitons in the form of solitons within a soliton, including all the pr…
We give a gauge-invariant definition of the vortex surface in SU(N) Yang-Mills theory without using the gauge fixing procedure. In this construction, gauge-invariant magnetic monopoles with fractional magnetic charges emerge in the boundary of the non-oriented vortex surface such that the asymptotic string tension reproduces the correct $N$-ality dependence. We show that gauge-invariant magnetic monopoles and vortices are simultaneously responsible for quark confinement in four dimensional spacetime based on the Wilson criterion. These results are extracted from a non-Abelian Stokes theorem de…
By varying the vortex core size of the thick center vortex model, we have studied the short distance potentials between static sources. It has been found that fluctuations of the vortex core size lead to Coulombic behavior. Furthermore, we discuss the influence of such fluctuations on Casimir scaling for both the Coulombic and the linear part of the potential.
We analytically show that mesonic bound states of confined monopoles appear inside a non-Abelian vortex-string in massless three-flavor QCD at large quark chemical potential mu. The orientational modes CP^2 in the internal space of a vortex is described by the low-energy effective world-sheet theory. Mesons of confined monopoles are dynamically generated as bound states of kinks by the quantum effects in the effective theory. The mass of monopoles is shown to be an exponentially soft scale Delta*exp[-c*(mu/Delta)^2], with the color superconducting gap Delta and some constant c. A possible quar…
The thick center vortex model reproduces important aspects of the potentials between static quark sources as seen in lattice Yang-Mills calculations: Both the intermediate distance behavior, governed by Casimir scaling, as well as the long distance behavior, governed by N-ality, are obtained. However, when a fixed vortex profile is used, these two distance regimes do not connect naturally to each other. The transition in general violates concavity constraints on the potential, especially for higher representations of the gauge group. We demonstrate how this issue can be alleviated when the vor…
The composite cosmological objects -- Kibble-Lazarides-Shafi (KLS) walls bounded by strings and cosmic strings terminated by Nambu monopoles -- could be produced during the phase transitions in the early Universe. Recent experiments in superfluid $^3$He reproduced the formation of the KLS domain walls, which opened the new arena for the detailed study of those objects in human controlled system with different characteristic lengths. These composite defects are formed by two successive symmetry breaking phase transitions. In the first transition the strings are formed, then in the second transi…
Numerical data for the SU(2) confining string in the maximal abelian projection are analysed. The distribution of the electric flux and monopole currents are perfectly described by the classical equations of motion for the dual Abelian Higgs model. The mass of the vector boson is equal to the mass of the monopole (Higgs particle) within numerical errors. The classical energy per unit length of the Abrikosov vortex reproduces 94% of the full non-Abelian string tension.
The short distance potentials between heavy SU(3) and SU(4) sources are calculated by increasing the role of vortex fluxes piercing Wilson loops with contributions close to the trivial center element and by fluctuating the vortex core size in the model of thick center vortices. By this method, a Coulombic potential consistent with Casimir scaling is obtained. In addition, all other features of the potential including a linear intermediate potential in agreement with Casimir scaling and a large distance potential proportional to the $N$-ality of the representation are restored. Therefore, the m…
SU(2) gluodynamics is investigated numerically and analytically in the (Indirect) Maximal Center gauge at finite temperature. The center vortices are shown to be condensed in the confinement phase and dilute in the deconfinement phase. A new physical object, center monopole, is constructed. We show that the center monopole condensate is the order parameter of deconfinement phase transition. The linking of the vortex worldsheets and quark trajectories is identified with the Aharonov-Bohm interaction in an effective Abelian Higgs theory. We conclude that the confinement in the Maximal Center gau…
Ensembles of magnetic defects represent quantum variables that have been detected and extensively explored in lattice ${\rm SU}(N)$ pure Yang-Mills theory. They successfully explain many properties of confinement and are strongly believed to capture the (infrared) path-integral measure. In this work, we initially motivate the presence of magnetic non-Abelian degrees of freedom in these ensembles. Next, we consider a simple Gaussian model to account for fluctuations. In this case, both center vortices and monopoles become relevant degrees in Wilson loop averages. These physical inputs are then …
We discuss two exotic objects, which must be experimentally identified in chiral superfluids and superconductors. These are (i) the vortex with fractional quantum number (N=1/2 in chiral superfluids, and N=1/2 and N=1/4 in chiral superconductors), which plays the part ofthe Alice string in relativistic theories; and (ii) the hedgehog in the l-field, which is the counterpart of the Dirac magnetic monopole. These objects of different dimensions are topologically connected. They form the combined object which is called nexus in relativistic theories. In chiral superconductors the nexus has magnet…
3D electroweak sphalerons on the lattice are used as test configurations for definitions of various topological defects. In the maximally Abelian gauge they are shown to contain a symmetric array of Abelian monopoles and anti-monopoles connected by two kinds of Abelian vortex strings. Gauge-invariant lattice definitions of the Nambu monopole and the Z-vortex string are formulated which correspond to Abelian projection from the unitary gauge. The sphalerons contain in their core just one (non-Abelian) Nambu monopole-anti-monopole pair (connected by a Z-string) in an unstable saddle point bound …
Two exotic objects are still not identified experimentally in chiral superfluids and superconductors. These are the half-quantum vortex, which plays the part of the Alice string in relativistic theories, and the hedgehog in the l-field, which is the counterpart of the Dirac magnetic monopole. These two objects of different dimensionality are topologically connected. They form the combined object which is called nexus in relativistic theories (hep-th/9911125). Such combination will allow us to observe half-quantum vortices and monopoles in several realistic geometries.
We study the properties of Nambu monopoles and Z-vortices in the 3D lattice SU(2) Higgs theory which represents the Standard Model at high temperature. We show that the densities of the Nambu monopoles and the Z-vortices are O(1) in the symmetric phase and generically small in the Higgs phase. Near to the critical Higgs mass and in the vicinity of the phase transition the densities are no more negligible in the broken phase. The percolation probability of the Z-vortex lines is found as a new disorder parameter for this phase transition. We conclude that the transition to the symmetric phase is…
In this lecture I will explain the established pictures of the QCD vacuum and, in particular, the underlying confinement mechanism. These are: the magnetic monopole condensation (dual Meißner effect), the center vortex picture and the Gribov--Zwanziger picture. I will start by giving a survey of the common order and disorder parameters of confinement: the temporal and spatial Wilson loop, the Polyakov loop and the 't Hooft loop. Next the dual Meißner effect, which assumes a condensate of magnetic monopoles, will be explained as a picture of confinement. I will also show how magnetic monopoles …
Condensation of the Abelian monopoles and the center vortices leads to confinement of color in low temperature phase of Yang-Mills theory. We stress that these topological magnetic degrees of freedom are also very important in the deconfinement regime: at the point of the deconfinement phase transition both the monopoles and the vortices are released into the thermal vacuum contributing, in particular, to the equation of state and, definitely, to transport properties of the hot gluonic medium. Thus, we argue that a novel, magnetic component plays a crucial role. On the other hand, it was demon…
We argue that in the infrared regime of continuum Yang-Mills theory, the possibility of a mass gap in the charged sector is closely associated with the center vortex sector. The analysis of the possible consequences of the ensembles of defects is done by showing that the description of center vortices and monopoles is naturally unified by means of a careful treatment of Cho decomposition. If on the one hand confinement is usually associated with monopole condensation in a compact abelian model, in this scenario, the previous decoupling of the off-diagonal degrees of freedom, for the abelian mo…
