A Lattice Test of 1/N_c Baryon Mass Relations

TL;DR

This paper tests 1/N_c baryon mass relations against lattice QCD simulations with varying quark masses, confirming hierarchical patterns and the suppression of discretization effects predicted by 1/N_c expansion.

Contribution

It provides a lattice-based validation of 1/N_c baryon mass relations and demonstrates the suppression of discretization effects through 1/N_c scaling.

Findings

Lattice data shows clear 1/N_c and SU(3) flavor-symmetry breaking hierarchies.

1/N_c expansion constrains discretization effects, which are suppressed by 1/N_c.

Validation of 1/N_c relations at large strange quark masses.

Abstract

1/N_c baryon mass relations are compared with lattice simulations of baryon masses using different values of the light-quark masses, and hence different values of SU(3) flavor-symmetry breaking. The lattice data clearly display both the 1/N_c and SU(3) flavor-symmetry breaking hierarchies. The validity of 1/N_c baryon mass relations derived without assuming approximate SU(3) flavor-symmetry also can be tested by lattice data at very large values of the strange quark mass. The 1/N_c expansion constrains the form of discretization effects; these are suppressed by powers of 1/N_c by taking suitable combinations of masses. This 1/N_c scaling is explicitly demonstrated in the present work.