Chirally Symmetric Phase of Supersymmetric Gluodynamics

TL;DR

This paper proposes a new phase in supersymmetric gluodynamics where the gluino condensate is absent, the discrete axial symmetry remains unbroken, and unconventional vacua with massless bound states exist.

Contribution

It introduces a conjecture of a condensate-free phase in supersymmetric gluodynamics supported by modified effective Lagrangian analysis and symmetry considerations.

Findings

Identification of a condensate-free, symmetry-preserving phase.

Existence of unconventional vacua with massless states.

Analysis of the effective Lagrangian and instanton calculations supports the conjecture.

Abstract

We argue that supersymmetric gluodynamics (theory of gluons and gluinos) has a condensate-free phase. Unlike the standard phase, the discrete axial symmetry of the Lagrangian is unbroken in this phase, and the gluino condensate does not develop. Extra unconventional vacua are supersymmetric and are characterized by the presence of (bosonic and fermionic) massless bound states. A set of arguments in favor of the conjecture includes: (i) analysis of the effective Lagrangian of the Veneziano-Yankielowicz type which we amend to properly incorporate all symmetries of the model; (ii) consideration of an unsolved problem with the Witten index; (iii) interpretation of a mismatch between the strong-coupling and weak coupling instanton calculations of the gluino condensate detected previously. Impact on Seiberg's results is briefly discussed.