The center vortex model, capable of explaining confinement and chiral symmetry breaking, has been plagued by the lattice equivalent of Gribov copies: different maxima of the gauge functional lead to different predictions of the string tension. It is possible to resolve this problem using center regions, loops evaluating to center elements, as guide for the gauge fixing procedure. The success of this approach was already shown, but the algorithms came with an arbitrary free parameter. In recent development this parameter has been fixed, even improving the results.
The center vortex model of the QCD vacuum is very successful in explaining the non-perturbative properties of QCD, especially confinement, chiral symmetry breaking and the topological charge of vacuum configurations. On the other hand, the center vortex model still suffers from a Gribov problem: Direct maximal center gauge and center projection can lead to an underestimation of the string tension in smooth configurations or after persistent simulated annealing. We discuss methods to identify center regions, whose boundaries evaluate to center elements, and want to improve the vortex detection:…
The connection of Gribov's confinement scenario in Coulomb gauge with the center vortex picture of confinement is investigated. For this purpose we assume a vacuum wave functional which models the infrared properties of the theory and in particular shows strict confinement, i.e. an area law of the Wilson loop. We isolate the center vortex content of this wave functional by standard lattice methods and investigate their contributions to various static propagators of the Hamilton approach to Yang-Mills theory in Coulomb gauge. We find that the infrared properties of these quantities, in particul…
The center vortex model of quantum chromodynamic states that vortices, closed color-magnetic flux, percolate the vacuum. Vortices are seen as the relevant excitations of the vacuum, causing confinement and dynamical chiral symmetry breaking. In an appropriate gauge, as \textit{direct maximal center gauge}, vortices are detected by projecting onto the center degrees of freedom. Such gauges suffer from Gribov copy problems: different local maxima of the corresponding gauge functional can result in different predictions of the string tension. By using non-trivial center regions, that is, regions …
I will review essential features of the Hamiltonian approach to QCD in Coulomb gauge showing that Gribov's confinement scenario is realized in this gauge. For this purpose I will discuss in detail the emergence of the horizon condition and the Coulomb string tension. I will show that both are induced by center vortex gauge field configurations, which establish the connection between Gribov's confinement scenario and the center vortex picture of confinement. I will then extend the Hamiltonian approach to QCD in Coulomb gauge to finite temperatures, first by the usual grand canonical ensemble an…
We present evidence that the center vortex model of confinement is more consistent with lattice results than other currently available models. In particular we show that Abelian field distributions predicted by monopole plasma, caloron gas or dual superconductor models cannot reproduce the area-law falloff of double winding Wilson loops in full $SU(2)$ and center vortex only gauge fields.
We present static meson-meson and baryon--anti-baryon potentials in Z(2) and Z(3) random center vortex models for the infrared sector of Yang-Mills theory, i.e., hypercubic lattice models of random vortex world-surfaces. In particular, we calculate Polyakov loop correlators of two static mesons resp. (anti-)baryons in a center vortex background and observe that their expectation values follow the minimal area law and show bond rearrangement behavior. The static meson-meson and baryon--anti-baryon potentials are compared with theoretical predictions and lattice QCD simulations.
We study the application of $\mathrm{SU}(3)$ gauge field smoothing methods to $\mathrm{Z}(3)$-projected center-vortex gauge fields. Due to the proportionality of the vortex links to the identity, naive applications of these methods are either ineffectual or limited in scope, containing subtle issues which are not obviously manifest. To overcome these issues we introduce centrifuge preconditioning, a novel method applied prior to smoothing that rotates the links away from the center while preserving the fundamental structure of the vortex field. Additionally, the concept of vortex-preserved ann…
Lattice gauge theory results show the confinement for the quark potential in different Yang-Mills theories and even the G(2) gauge theory. LGT calculations show that quark potential should have the down concavity behavior. Confinement properties can be explained using the thick center vortex model. However an upward concavity is seen in the quark potential intervals using this model. After study the reason of this concavity, it is shown the non physical concavity can be reduced by taking an arbitrary symmetric vortex flux in the space time plane of the lattice.
We present a model of center vortices, represented by closed random lines in continuous 2+1- dimensional space- time. These random lines are modeled as being piece-wise linear and an ensemble is generated by Monte Carlo methods. The physical space in which the vortex lines are defined is a cuboid with periodic boundary conditions. Besides moving, growing and shrinking of the vortex configuration, also reconnections are allowed. Our ensemble therefore contains not a fixed, but a variable number of closed vortex lines. This is expected to be important for realizing the deconfining phase transiti…
The topological susceptibility of the SU(3) random vortex world-surface ensemble, an effective model of infrared Yang-Mills dynamics, is investigated. The model is implemented by composing vortex world-surfaces of elementary squares on a hypercubic lattice, supplemented by an appropriate specification of vortex color structure on the world-surfaces. Topological charge is generated in this picture by writhe and self-intersection of the vortex world-surfaces. Systematic uncertainties in the evaluation of the topological charge, engendered by the hypercubic construction, are discussed. Results fo…
We investigate the chiral properties of near-zero modes for thick classical center vortices in SU (2) lattice gauge theory as examples of the phenomena which may arise in a vortex vacuum. In particular we analyze the creation of near-zero modes from would-be zero modes of various topological charge contributions from center vortices. We show that classical colorful spherical vortex and instanton ensembles have almost identical Dirac spectra and the low-lying eigenmodes from spherical vortices show all characteristic properties for chiral symmetry breaking. We further show that also vortex inte…
We investigate several examples of Yang-Mills gauge configurations containing center vortex structures, including intersection points between vortices and nontrivial color structures residing on the vortex world-surfaces. Various topological charge contributions of the color structures and intersection points are studied in these configurations. Low-lying eigenmodes of the (overlap) Dirac operator in the presence of these vortex backgrounds are analyzed. The results indicate characteristic properties for spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking.
We analyze the creation of near-zero modes from would-be zero modes of various topological charge contributions from classical center vortices in SU(2) lattice gauge theory. We show that colorful spherical vortex and instanton configurations have very similar Dirac eigenmodes and also vortex intersections are able to give rise to a finite density of near-zero modes, leading to chiral symmetry breaking via the Banks-Casher formula. We discuss the influence of the magnetic vortex fluxes on quarks and how center vortices may break chiral symmetry.
We present meson-meson (Wilson loop) correlators in Z(2) center vortex models for the infrared sector of Yang-Mills theory, i.e., a hypercubic lattice model of random vortex surfaces and a continuous 2+1 dimensional model of random vortex lines. In particular we calculate quadratic and circular Wilson loop correlators in the two models respectively and observe that their expectation values follow the area law and show string breaking behavior. Further we calculate the catenary solution for the two cases and try to find indications for minimal surface behavior or string surface tension leading …
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 …
