No Arabic abstract
We provide strong evidence that the asymptotically free (1+1)-dimensional non-linear O(3) sigma model can be regularized using a quantum lattice Hamiltonian, referred to as the Heisenberg-comb, that acts on a Hilbert space with only two qubits per spatial lattice site. The Heisenberg-comb consists of a spin-half anti-ferromagnetic Heisenberg-chain coupled anti-ferromagnetically to a second local spin-half particle at every lattice site. Using a world-line Monte Carlo method we show that the model reproduces the universal step-scaling function of the traditional model up to correlation lengths of 200,000 in lattice units and argue how the continuum limit could emerge. We provide a quantum circuit description of time-evolution of the model and argue that near-term quantum computers may suffice to demonstrate asymptotic freedom.
We investigate many-body properties of equally populated three-component fermions with attractive three-body contact interaction. A diagrammatic approach suggests the possible occurrence of Cooper triples at low temperature, which are a three-body counterpart of Cooper pairs with a two-body attraction. In one-dimension, the presence of Cooper triples is accompanied by conformal symmetry breaking, which is in turn related to an asymptotic freedom of the low-dimensional, multi-component system. While trimer states present at sufficiently low density have the binding energy reduced by the Pauli blocking and the thermal agitation, Cooper triples are predicted to take over for the even larger Fermi surface. We develop a minimal framework that bridges such a crossover from tightly-bound trimers to Cooper triples with increasing particle number density.
Measurements which probe the energy dependence of $alpha_s$, the coupling strength of the strong interaction, are reviewed. Jet counting in $e^+ e^-$ annihilation, combining results obtained in the centre of mass energy range from 22 to 133 GeV, provides direct evidence for an asymptotically free coupling, without the need to determine explicit values of $alpha_s$. Recent results from jet production in $e p$ and in $p overline{p}$ collisions, obtained in single experiments spanning large ranges of momentum transfer, $Q^2$, are in good agreement with the running of $alpha_s$ as predicted by QCD. Mass spectra of hadronic decays of $tau$-leptons are analysed to probe the running $alpha_s$ in the very low energy domain, $0.7 GeV^2 < Q^2 < M_tau^2$. An update of the world summary of measurements of $alpha_s(Q^2)$ consistently proves the energy dependence of $alpha_s$ and results in a combined average of $alpha_s(M_Z) = 0.118 pm 0.006$.
We study four-dimensional gauge theories coupled to fermions in the fundamental and meson-like scalars. All requisite beta functions are provided for general gauge group and fermion representation. In the regime where asymptotic freedom is absent, we determine all interacting fixed points using perturbation theory up to three loop in the gauge and two loop in the Yukawa and quartic couplings. We find that the conformal window of ultraviolet fixed points is narrowed-down by finite-$N$ corrections beyond the Veneziano limit. We also find a new infrared fixed point whose main features such as scaling exponents, UV-IR connecting trajectories, and phase diagram are provided. Both fixed points collide upon varying the number of fermion flavours $N_{rm f}$, and conformality is lost through a saddle-node bifurcation. We further revisit the prospect for ultraviolet fixed points in the large $N_{rm f}$ limit where matter field fluctuations dominate. Unlike at weak coupling, we do not find clear evidence for new scaling solutions even in the presence of scalar and Yukawa couplings.
We numerically study the single-flavor Schwinger model with a topological $theta$-term, which is practically inaccessible by standard lattice Monte Carlo simulations due to the sign problem. By using numerical methods based on tensor networks, especially the one-dimensional matrix product states, we explore the non-trivial $theta$-dependence of several lattice and continuum quantities in the Hamiltonian formulation. In particular, we compute the ground-state energy, the electric field, the chiral fermion condensate, and the topological vacuum susceptibility for positive, zero, and even negative fermion mass. In the chiral limit, we demonstrate that the continuum model becomes independent of the vacuum angle $theta$, thus respecting CP invariance, while lattice artifacts still depend on $theta$. We also confirm that negative masses can be mapped to positive masses by shifting $thetarightarrow theta +pi$ due to the axial anomaly in the continuum, while lattice artifacts non-trivially distort this mapping. This mass regime is particularly interesting for the (3+1)-dimensional QCD analog of the Schwinger model, the sign problem of which requires the development and testing of new numerical techniques beyond the conventional Monte Carlo approach.
Lattice QCD studies on fluctuations and correlations of charm quantum number have established that deconfinement of charm degrees of freedom sets in around the chiral crossover temperature, $T_c$, i.e. charm degrees of freedom carrying fractional baryonic charge start to appear. By reexamining those same lattice QCD data we show that, in addition to the contributions from quark-like excitations, the partial pressure of charm degrees of freedom may still contain significant contributions from open-charm meson and baryon-like excitations associated with integral baryonic charges for temperatures up to $1.2~ T_c$. Charm quark-quasiparticles become the dominant degrees of freedom for temperatures $T>1.2~ T_c$.