The Center symmetry and its spontaneous breakdown at high temperatures
Nov, 2000Citations per year
Abstract:
We examine the role of the center Z(N) of the gauge group SU(N) in gauge theories. In this pedagogical article, we discuss, among other topics, the center symmetry and confinement and deconfinement in gauge theories and associated finite-temperature phase transitions. We also look at universal properties of domain walls separating distinct confined and deconfined bulk phases, including a description of how QCD color-flux strings can end on color-neutral domain walls, and unusual finite-volume dependence in which quarks in deconfined bulk phase seem to be "confined".Note:
- To be published in the Festschrift in honor of B.L. Ioffe, 'At the Frontier of Particle Physics / Handbook of QCD', edited by M. Shifman •
- LaTex, 35 pages, 6 figures, uses sprocl.sty. To be published in the Festschrift in honor of B.L. Ioffe, "At the Frontier of Particle Physics/ Handbook of QCD", edited by M. Shifman
- gauge field theory: SU(N)
- finite temperature
- symmetry: Z(N)
- spontaneous symmetry breaking
- critical phenomena: confinement
- supersymmetry
- domain wall
- Polyakov loop
- boundary condition
References(67)
Figures(6)