Confined Charged Particles in C-periodic Volumes

TL;DR

This paper explores how charged particles can exist in C-periodic volumes, revealing insights into confinement and infraparticle behavior in gauge theories.

Contribution

It demonstrates the existence of charged particles in C-periodic volumes and analyzes their properties, advancing understanding of confinement and infraparticles.

Findings

Charged particles can exist in C-periodic volumes.

Non-Abelian infraparticles have finite energy in C-periodic volumes.

Insights into confinement mechanisms in gauge theories.

Abstract

Charged particles in an Abelian Coulomb phase are non-local infraparticles that are surrounded by a cloud of soft photons which extends to infinity. Gauss' law prevents the existence of charged particles in a periodic volume. In a $C$-periodic volume, which is periodic up to charge conjugation, on the other hand, charged particles can exist. This includes vortices in the $3$-d XY-model, magnetic monopoles in $4$-d $\mathrm{U}(1)$ gauge theory, as well as protons and other charged particles in QCD coupled to QED. In four dimensions non-Abelian charges are confined. Hence, in an infinite volume non-Abelian infraparticles cost an infinite amount of energy. However, in a $C$-periodic volume non-Abelian infraparticles (whose energy increases linearly with the box size) can indeed exist. Investigating these states holds the promise of deepening our understanding of confinement.