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Title: Finite Volume Dependence of Hadron Properties and Lattice QCD

Journal Article ·
OSTI ID:836549

Because the time needed for a simulation in lattice QCD varies at a rate exceeding the fourth power of the lattice size, it is important to understand how small one can make a lattice without altering the physics beyond recognition. It is common to use a rule of thumb that the pion mass times the lattice size should be greater than (ideally much greater than) four (i.e., m{sub {pi}} L >> 4). By considering a relatively simple chiral quark model we are led to suggest that a more realistic constraint would be m{sub {pi}} (L - 2R) >> 4, where R is the radius of the confinement region, which for these purposes could be taken to be around 0.8-1.0 fm. Within the model we demonstrate that violating the second condition can lead to unphysical behavior of hadronic properties as a function of pion mass. In particular, the axial charge of the nucleon is found to decrease quite rapidly as the chiral limit is approached.

Research Organization:
Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF), Newport News, VA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE; USDOE Office of Energy Research (ER) (US)
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-84ER40150
OSTI ID:
836549
Report Number(s):
JLAB-THY-05-5; DOE/ER/40150-3099; TRN: US0500657
Resource Relation:
Other Information: No journal information given for this preprint; PBD: 1 Feb 2005
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English