Complex Langevin Simulation of a Random Matrix Model at Nonzero Chemical Potential

In this paper we test the complex Langevin algorithm for numerical simulations of a random matrix model of QCD with a first order phase transition to a phase of finite baryon density. We observe that a naive implementation of the algorithm leads to phase quenched results, which were also derived analytically in this article. We test several fixes for the convergence issues of the algorithm, in particular the method of gauge cooling, the shifted representation, the deformation technique and reweighted complex Langevin, but only the latter method reproduces the correct analytical results in the region where the quark mass is inside the domain of the eigenvalues. In order to shed more light on the issues of the methods we also apply them to a similar random matrix model with a milder sign problem and no phase transition, and in that case gauge cooling cooling solves the convergence problems as was shown before in the literature.

Phase Diagram of Wilson and Twisted Mass Fermions at finite isospin chemical potential

Wilson Fermions with untwisted and twisted mass are widely used in lattice simulations. Therefore one important question is whether the twist angle and the lattice spacing affect the phase diagram. We briefly report on the study of the phase diagram of QCD in the parameter space of the degenerate quark masses, isospin chemical potential, lattice spacing, and twist angle by employing chiral perturbation theory. Moreover we calculate the pion masses and their dependence on these four parameters.

The Realization of the Sharpe-Singleton Scenario

The microscopic spectral density of the Wilson Dirac operator for two flavor lattice QCD is analyzed. The computation includes the leading order a^2 corrections of the chiral Lagrangian in the microscopic limit. The result is used to demonstrate how the Sharpe-Singleton first order scenario is realized in terms of the eigenvalues of the Wilson Dirac operator. We show that the Sharpe-Singleton scenario only takes place in the theory with dynamical fermions whereas the Aoki phase can be realized in the quenched as well as the unquenched theory. Moreover, we give constraints imposed by gamma_5-Hermiticity on the additional low energy constants of Wilson chiral perturbation theory.

The QCD Phase Diagram at Nonzero Temperature, Baryon and Isospin Chemical Potentials in Random Matrix Theory

We introduce a random matrix model with the symmetries of QCD at finite temperature and chemical potentials for baryon number and isospin. We analyze the phase diagram of this model in the chemical potential plane for different temperatures and quark masses. We find a rich phase structure with five different phases separated by both first and second order lines. The phases are characterized by the pion condensate and the chiral condensate for each of the flavors. In agreement with lattice simulations, we find that in the phase with zero pion condensate the critical temperature depends in the same way on the baryon number chemical potential and on the isospin chemical potential. At nonzero quark mass, we remarkably find that the critical end point at nonzero temperature and baryon chemical potential is split in two by an arbitrarily small isospin chemical potential. As a consequence, there are two crossovers that separate the hadronic phase from the quark-gluon plasma phase at high temperature. Detailed analytical results are obtained at zero temperature and in the chiral limit.