A new model for confinement

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel model for confinement based on a five-dimensional gauge theory that undergoes dimensional reduction, leading to confinement-like behavior with asymptotic freedom and string formation, studied via lattice regularization.

Contribution

It presents a new approach to confinement using anisotropic 5D gauge theory and dimensional reduction on branes, with detailed lattice analysis and continuum limit procedures.

Findings

Gauge coupling runs as asymptotically free at short distances.

Signs of string formation observed at long distances.

Dimensional reduction occurs near a second order phase transition.

Abstract

We propose a new approach towards the understanding of confinement. Starting from an anisotropic five dimensional pure gauge theory, we approach a second order phase transition where the system reduces dimensionally. Dimensional reduction is realized via localization of the gauge and scalar degrees of freedom on four dimensional branes. The gauge coupling deriving from the brane Wilson loop observable runs like an asymptotically free coupling at short distance, while it exhibits clear signs of string formation at long distance. The regularization used is the lattice. We take the continuum limit by keeping the ratio of the lattice spacing in the brane over the lattice spacing along the extra dimension constant and smaller than one.