Lattice QCD at finite temperature: Evidence for calorons from the eigenvectors of the Dirac operator

TL;DR

This paper investigates the properties of low-lying eigenmodes of the Dirac operator in lattice QCD near the deconfinement transition, providing evidence for calorons through spectral and localization analysis.

Contribution

It presents the first detailed analysis of eigenvector properties in quenched lattice QCD near T_c, linking spectral features to caloron configurations.

Findings

Distinct spectral differences between Z_3 sectors above T_c

Localization properties of eigenmodes suggest caloron presence

Supports calorons as relevant topological objects at finite temperature

Abstract

We analyze the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the staggered Dirac operator in quenched lattice QCD in the vicinity of the deconfinement phase transition using the L\"uscher-Weisz gauge action. The spectral and localization properties of the low-lying eigenmodes show characteristic differences between the Z_3 sectors above the critical temperature T_c. These findings can be interpreted in terms of calorons.