A comprehensive picture of topological excitations in finite temperature lattice QCD

TL;DR

This paper investigates the properties of topological excitations in lattice QCD across the phase transition, revealing that gauge field excitations resemble a fluid of instanton-like objects, through spectral and localization analysis of the Dirac operator.

Contribution

It provides a systematic analysis of topological excitations in finite temperature lattice QCD using a Ginsparg-Wilson based Dirac operator, across the phase transition.

Findings

Support for instanton-like gauge field excitations as dominant topological objects

Consistent finite volume and scaling behavior of observables

Analysis of eigenvector localization and chirality properties

Abstract

We study spectra, localization properties and local chirality of eigenvectors of the lattice Dirac operator. We analyze ensembles of quenched SU(3) configurations on both sides of the QCD phase transition. Our Dirac operator is a systematic expansion in path length of a solution of the Ginsparg-Wilson equation. Analyzing the finite volume behavior of our observables and their scaling with the gauge coupling we come up with a consistent picture of topological excitations on both sides of the QCD phase transition. Our results support the interpretation of the dominant gauge field excitations seen by the Dirac operator as a fluid of instanton-like objects.