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Title: Chiral-symmetry restoration in the Nambu--Jona-Lasinio model with a constant electromagnetic field

Journal Article · · Phys. Rev. D; (United States)

The proper-time Schwinger formalism is implemented in a derivation of the gap equation and total energy of a system of interacting fermions described by the Nambu--Jona-Lasinio model that is minimally coupled to a constant electromagnetic field. Inclusion of a Lagrange multiplier term to vary the scalar density enables the calculation of energy curves as a function of the scalar density that plays the role of an order parameter. A consistent gauge- and Lorentz-invariant regularization of the divergent quantities that occur in this theory is implemented in calculating the total energy and gap relation. Specializing to constant electric fields, we find that a chiral-symmetry-restoration phase transition can occur at a critical value of the electric field. For our choice of parameters, /ital g/..lambda../sup 2//2..pi../sup 2/=1.12 and ..lambda..=1041 MeV, one finds the dynamically generated mass /ital m//sub /ital E/=0//sup */=208 MeV and critical field /ital eE//sub /ital c//=(270 MeV)/sup 2/. By contrast, aconstant magnetic field is found to inhibit the phase transition by stabilizingthe chirally broken vacuum state.

Research Organization:
Physics Department and Wits-CSIR Schonland Centre for Nuclear Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, P.O. Wits, 2050, Johannesburg, South Africa(ZA)
OSTI ID:
6391487
Journal Information:
Phys. Rev. D; (United States), Vol. 39:11
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English