No Arabic abstract
Based on a recent proposal according to which elementary particle masses could be generated by a non-perturbative dynamical phenomenon, alternative to the Higgs mechanism, we carry out lattice simulations of a model where a non-abelian strongly interacting fermion doublet is also coupled to a doublet of complex scalar fields via a Yukawa and an irrelevant Wilson-like term. In this pioneering study we use naive fermions and work in the quenched approximation. We present preliminary numerical results both in the Wigner and in the Nambu-Goldstone phase, focusing on the observables relevant to check the occurrence of the conjectured dynamical fermion mass generation effect in the continuum limit of the critical theory in its spontaneously broken phase.
In this contribution we lay down a lattice setup that allows for the non-perturbative study of a field theoretical model where a SU(2) fermion doublet, subjected to non-Abelian gauge interactions, is also coupled to a complex scalar field doublet via a Yukawa and an irrelevant Wilson-like term. Using naive fermions in quenched approximation and based on the renormalized Ward identities induced by purely fermionic chiral transformations, lattice observables are discussed that enable: a) in the Wigner phase, the determinations of the critical Yukawa coupling value where the purely fermionic chiral transformation become a symmetry up to lattice artifacts; b) in the Nambu-Goldstone phase of the resulting critical theory, a stringent test of the actual generation of a fermion mass term of non-perturbative origin. A soft twisted fermion mass term is introduced to circumvent the problem of exceptional configurations, and observables are then calculated in the limit of vanishing twisted mass.
In this talk we present a numerical lattice study of an SU(3) gauge model where an SU(2) doublet of non-Abelian strongly interacting fermions is coupled to a complex scalar field doublet via a Yukawa and a Wilson-like term. The model enjoys an exact symmetry, acting on all fields, which prevents UV power divergent fermion mass corrections, despite the presence of these two chiral breaking operators in the Lagrangian. In the phase where the scalar potential is non-degenerate and fermions are massless, the bare Yukawa coupling can be set at a critical value at which chiral fermion transformations become symmetries of the theory. Numerical simulations in the Nambu-Goldstone phase of the critical theory, for which the renormalized Yukawa coupling by construction vanishes, give evidence for non-perturbative generation of a UV finite fermion mass term in the effective action.
We consider a field theoretical model where a SU(2) fermion doublet, subjected to non-Abelian gauge interactions, is also coupled to a complex scalar field doublet via a Yukawa and an irrelevant Wilson-like term. Despite the presence of these two chiral breaking operators in the Lagrangian, an exact symmetry acting on fermions and scalars prevents perturbative mass corrections. In the phase where fermions are massless (Wigner phase) the Yukawa coupling can be tuned to a critical value at which chiral transformations acting on fermions only become a symmetry of the theory (up to cutoff effects). In the Nambu-Goldstone phase of the critical theory a fermion mass term of dynamical origin is expected to arise in the Ward identities of the purely fermionic chiral transformations. Such a non-perturbative mechanism of dynamical mass generation can provide a natural (`a la t Hooft) alternative to the Higgs mechanism adopted in the Standard Model. Here we lay down the theoretical framework necessary to demonstrate the existence of this mechanism by means of lattice simulations.
We present a pedagogical overview of the nonperturbative mechanism that endows gluons with a dynamical mass. This analysis is performed based on pure Yang-Mills theories in the Landau gauge, within the theoretical framework that emerges from the combination of the pinch technique with the background field method. In particular, we concentrate on the Schwinger-Dyson equation satisfied by the gluon propagator and examine the necessary conditions for obtaining finite solutions within the infrared region. The role of seagull diagrams receives particular attention, as do the identities that enforce the cancellation of all potential quadratic divergences. We stress the necessity of introducing nonperturbative massless poles in the fully dressed vertices of the theory in order to trigger the Schwinger mechanism, and explain in detail the instrumental role of these poles in maintaining the Becchi-Rouet-Stora-Tyutin symmetry at every step of the mass-generating procedure. The dynamical equation governing the evolution of the gluon mass is derived, and its solutions are determined numerically following implementation of a set of simplifying assumptions. The obtained mass function is positive definite, and exhibits a power law running that is consistent with general arguments based on the operator product expansion in the ultraviolet region. A possible connection between confinement and the presence of an inflection point in the gluon propagator is briefly discussed.
We numerically explore an alternative discretization of continuum $text{SU}(N_c)$ Yang-Mills theory on a Euclidean spacetime lattice, originally introduced by Budzcies and Zirnbauer for gauge group $text{U}(N_c)$. This discretization can be reformulated such that the self-interactions of the gauge field are induced by a path integral over $N_b$ auxiliary bosonic fields, which couple linearly to the gauge field. In the first paper of the series we have shown that the theory reproduces continuum $text{SU}(N_c)$ Yang-Mills theory in $d=2$ dimensions if $N_b$ is larger than $N_c-frac{3}{4}$ and conjectured, following the argument of Budzcies and Zirnbauer, that this remains true for $d>2$. In the present paper, we test this conjecture by performing lattice simulations of the simplest nontrivial case, i.e., gauge group $text{SU}(2)$ in three dimensions. We show that observables computed in the induced theory, such as the static $qbar q$ potential and the deconfinement transition temperature, agree with the same observables computed from the ordinary plaquette action up to lattice artifacts. We also find that the bound for $N_b$ can be relaxed to $N_c-frac{5}{4}$ as conjectured in our earlier paper. Studies of how the new discretization can be used to change the order of integration in the path integral to arrive at dual formulations of QCD are left for future work.