Topology, the meson spectrum and the scalar glueball: three probes of conformality and the way it is lost

TL;DR

This paper investigates how topological observables, meson spectrum, and scalar glueball properties reveal the mechanisms behind the loss of conformality in non-Abelian gauge theories near the conformal window.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive analysis of three key probes to understand the transition from conformal to non-conformal phases in gauge theories.

Findings

Topological observables significantly change near the conformal window edge.

The meson spectrum exhibits characteristic shifts indicating symmetry breaking.

Scalar glueball properties serve as indicators of conformality loss.

Abstract

We discuss properties of non-Abelian gauge theories that change significantly across the lower edge of the conformal window. Their probes are the topological observables, the meson spectrum and the scalar glueball operator. The way these quantities change tells about the way conformal symmetry is lost.