Monopole clusters, center vortices, and confinement in a Z(2) gauge-Higgs system

TL;DR

This paper investigates the role of monopole and vortex condensation in confinement within a Z(2) gauge-Higgs system, highlighting that such condensation is necessary but not sufficient for confinement.

Contribution

It demonstrates that monopole and vortex condensation alone do not guarantee confinement in gauge-Higgs models, challenging simplified confinement criteria.

Findings

Monopole and vortex condensation are necessary for confinement.

Poor overlap of Wilson loops with broken string states supports confinement criteria.

Condensation alone does not ensure confinement in Z(2) gauge-Higgs systems.

Abstract

We propose to use the different kinds of vacua of the gauge theories coupled to matter as a laboratory to test confinement ideas of pure Yang-Mills theories. In particular, the very poor overlap of the Wilson loop with the broken string states supports the 't Hooft and Mandelstam confinement criteria. However in the Z(2) gauge-Higgs model we use as a guide we find that the condensation of monopoles and center vortices is a necessary, but not sufficient condition for confinement.