Bonn 2010 – scientific programme

Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Downloads | Help

T: Fachverband Teilchenphysik

T 25: Gittereichtheorie I

T 25.8: Talk

Monday, March 15, 2010, 18:35–18:50, HG XIII

SU(2) in 2+1 dimensions: twisted boundary conditions, deconfinement, and universality — •Sam Edwards and Lorenz von Smekal — Institut für Kernphysik, TU Darmstadt, Deutschland

In pure SU(N) gauge theory, 't Hooft's twisted boundary conditions fix the number of center vortices of various orientations in a finite box. The free energy of spacelike vortices is then an order parameter for the deconfinement transition. Here we study SU(2) on the lattice in 2+1 dimensions, which is in the universality class of the 2d Ising model. This places a wealth of exact results at our fingertips. In particular, spacelike center vortices in SU(2) at criticality correspond to spin interfaces in the 2d Ising model, whose universal scaling functions are known analytically. By exploiting the exact value of the free energy at criticality, we are able to locate the deconfinement transition in SU(2) with unprecedented precision. Knowledge of the critical lattice couplings then allows for a finite size scaling analysis, where the self-duality of the 2d Ising model is reflected in a duality between the spacelike vortices and confining electric fluxes.