Chiral phase transition in lattice QCD as a metal-insulator transition

Journal Article · Thu Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 2007 · Physical Review. D, Particles Fields

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVD.75.034503· OSTI ID:21010999

Garcia-Garcia, Antonio M; Osborn, James C ^[1]

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1. Physics Department, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544 (United States) and Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, P.O.B. 586, 34100 Trieste (Italy)

We investigate the lattice QCD Dirac operator with staggered fermions at temperatures around the chiral phase transition. We present evidence of a metal-insulator transition in the low lying modes of the Dirac operator around the same temperature as the chiral phase transition. This strongly suggests the phenomenon of Anderson localization drives the QCD vacuum to the chirally symmetric phase in a way similar to a metal-insulator transition in a disordered conductor. We also discuss how Anderson localization affects the usual phenomenological treatment of phase transitions a la Ginzburg-Landau.

• OSTI ID: 21010999
• Journal Information: Physical Review. D, Particles Fields, Vol. 75, Issue 3; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.75.034503; (c) 2007 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
CHIRALITY
DIRAC OPERATORS
FERMIONS
GINZBURG-LANDAU THEORY
LATTICE FIELD THEORY
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
QUANTUM CHROMODYNAMICS
VACUUM STATES