Chiral Symmetry Breaking in Strongly Coupled 1+1 Dimensional Lattice Gauge Theories

TL;DR

This paper investigates chiral symmetry breaking in strongly coupled 1+1 dimensional lattice gauge theories, specifically the Schwinger and 't Hooft models, using Hamiltonian formalism and spin chain correspondence to elucidate ground states and condensates.

Contribution

It provides an intuitive spin chain-based analysis of chiral symmetry breaking patterns and condensates in strongly coupled lattice gauge theories, revealing relationships between different models.

Findings

Chiral symmetry breaking patterns are characterized for the models.

Ground states are interpreted via antiferromagnetic spin chains.

Lattice chiral condensates are quantitatively related across models.

Abstract

We analyse - within the hamiltonian formalism with staggered fermions - the patterns of chiral symmetry breaking for the strongly coupled Schwinger and $U({\cal N}_c)$-color `t Hooft models with one and two flavor of fermions. Using the correspondence between these strongly coupled gauge models and antiferromagnetic spin chains, we provide a rather intuitive picture of their ground states, elucidate their patterns of chiral symmetry breaking, and compute the pertinent chiral condensates. Our analysis evidences an intriguing relationship between the values of the lattice chiral condensates of the `t Hooft and Schwinger models with one flavor of fermions.