Center Dominance, Center Vortices, and Confinement

TL;DR

This paper provides numerical evidence supporting the Center Vortex theory of confinement, introducing a new method to identify vortices in lattice gauge configurations and linking vortex fluctuations to the string tension.

Contribution

A novel method for locating center vortices in lattice gauge fields and demonstrating their role in confinement through numerical data.

Findings

Vortex fluctuations correlate with Wilson loop behavior

Vortices are linked to the asymptotic string tension

Numerical data supports the Center Vortex confinement mechanism

Abstract

We present a variety of numerical data supporting the Center Vortex theory of confinement. A method is introduced for identifying the location of center vortices, in thermalized gauge-field configurations generated by lattice Monte Carlo. Fluctuations in the number of such vortices, linked to fundamental representation Wilson loops, appear to be responsible for the asymptotic string tension extracted from those loops.