Magnetic Catalysis vs Magnetic Inhibition

TL;DR

This paper explores how strong magnetic fields influence chiral symmetry, revealing a competition between magnetic catalysis and magnetic inhibition effects, with implications for lattice QCD results.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of magnetic inhibition due to neutral mesons, providing a new perspective on chiral symmetry behavior in strong magnetic fields.

Findings

Neutral mesons cause dimensional reduction, favoring chiral symmetry restoration.

Magnetic inhibition can explain decreasing chiral-restoration temperature in lattice QCD.

Magnetic catalysis and inhibition compete, affecting chiral phase transitions.

Abstract

We discuss the fate of chiral symmetry in an extremely strong magnetic field B. We investigate not only quark fluctuations but also neutral meson effects. The former would enhance the chiral-symmetry breaking at finite B according to the Magnetic Catalysis, while the latter would suppress the chiral condensate once B exceeds the scale of the hadron structure. Using a chiral model we demonstrate how neutral mesons are subject to the dimensional reduction and the low dimensionality favors the chiral-symmetric phase. We point out that this effect, the Magnetic Inhibition, can be a feasible explanation for recent lattice-QCD data indicating the decreasing behavior of the chiral-restoration temperature with increasing B.