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Aguilar, A. C., Binosi, D., & Papavassiliou, J. (2010). QCD effective charges from lattice data. J. High Energy Phys., 07(7), 002–24pp.
Abstract: We use recent lattice data on the gluon and ghost propagators, as well as the Kugo-Ojima function, in order to extract the non-perturbative behavior of two particular definitions of the QCD effective charge, one based on the pinch technique construction, and one obtained from the standard ghost-gluon vertex. The construction relies crucially on the definition of two dimensionful quantities, which are invariant under the renormalization group, and are built out of very particular combinations of the aforementioned Green's functions. The main non-perturbative feature of both effective charges, encoded in the infrared finiteness of the gluon propagator and ghost dressing function used in their definition, is the freezing at a common finite (non-vanishing) value, in agreement with a plethora of theoretical and phenomenological expectations. We discuss the sizable discrepancy between the freezing values obtained from the present lattice analysis and the corresponding estimates derived from several phenomenological studies, and attribute its origin to the difference in the gauges employed. A particular toy calculation suggests that the modifications induced to the non-perturbative gluon propagator by the gauge choice may indeed account for the observed deviation of the freezing values.
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Aguilar, A. C., Binosi, D., & Papavassiliou, J. (2010). Nonperturbative gluon and ghost propagators for d=3 Yang-Mills theory. Phys. Rev. D, 81(12), 125025–13pp.
Abstract: We study a manifestly gauge-invariant set of Schwinger-Dyson equations to determine the non-perturbative dynamics of the gluon and ghost propagators in d = 3 Yang-Mills theory. The use of the well-known Schwinger mechanism, in the Landau gauge leads to the dynamical generation of a mass for the gauge boson (gluon in d = 3), which, in turn, gives rise to an infrared finite gluon propagator and ghost dressing function. The propagators obtained from the numerical solution of these nonperturbative equations are in very good agreement with the results of SU(2) lattice simulations.
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Binosi, D., & Papavassiliou, J. (2011). Gauge invariant Ansatz for a special three-gluon vertex. J. High Energy Phys., 03(3), 121–23pp.
Abstract: We construct a general Ansatz for the three-particle vertex describing the interaction of one background and two quantum gluons, by simultaneously solving the Ward and Slavnov-Taylor identities it satisfies. This vertex is known to be essential for the gauge-invariant truncation of the Schwinger-Dyson equations of QCD, based on the pinch technique and the background field method. A key step in this construction is the formal derivation of a set of crucial constraints (shown to be valid to all orders), relating the various form factors of the ghost Green's functions appearing in the aforementioned Slavnov-Taylor identity. When inserted into the Schwinger-Dyson equation for the gluon propagator, this vertex gives rise to a number of highly non-trivial cancellations, which are absolutely indispensable for the self-consistency of the entire approach.
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Aguilar, A. C., Binosi, D., & Papavassiliou, J. (2011). Dynamical equation of the effective gluon mass. Phys. Rev. D, 84(8), 085026–19pp.
Abstract: In this article, we derive the integral equation that controls the momentum dependence of the effective gluon mass in the Landau gauge. This is accomplished by means of a well-defined separation of the corresponding “one-loop dressed” Schwinger-Dyson equation into two distinct contributions, one associated with the mass and one with the standard kinetic part of the gluon. The entire construction relies on the existence of a longitudinally coupled vertex of nonperturbative origin, which enforces gauge invariance in the presence of a dynamical mass. The specific structure of the resulting mass equation, supplemented by the additional requirement of a positive-definite gluon mass, imposes a rather stringent constraint on the derivative of the gluonic dressing function, which is comfortably satisfied by the large-volume lattice data for the gluon propagator, both for SU(2) and SU(3). The numerical treatment of the mass equation, under some simplifying assumptions, is presented for the aforementioned gauge groups, giving rise to a gluon mass that is a nonmonotonic function of the momentum. Various theoretical improvements and possible future directions are briefly discussed.
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Aguilar, A. C., Binosi, D., & Papavassiliou, J. (2012). Gluon mass through ghost synergy. J. High Energy Phys., 01(1), 050–32pp.
Abstract: In this work we compute, at the “one-loop-dressed” level, the nonperturbative contribution of the ghost loops to the self-energy of the gluon propagator, in the Landau gauge. This is accomplished within the PT-BFM formalism, where the contribution of the ghost-loops is inherently transverse, by virtue of the QED-like Ward identities satisfied in this framework. At the level of the “one-loop dressed” approximation, the ghost transversality is preserved by employing a suitable gauge-technique Ansatz for the longitudinal part of the full ghost-gluon vertex. Under the key assumption that the undetermined transverse part of this vertex is numerically subleading in the infrared, and using as nonperturbative input the available lattice data for the ghost dressing function, we show that the ghost contributions have a rather sizable effect on the overall shape of the gluon propagator, both for d = 3, 4. Then, by exploiting a recently introduced dynamical equation for the effective gluon mass, whose solutions depend crucially on the characteristics of the gluon propagator at intermediate energies, we show that if the ghost loops are removed from the gluon propagator then the gluon mass vanishes. These findings suggest that, at least at the level of the Schwinger-Dyson equations, the effects of gluons and ghosts are inextricably connected, and must be combined suitably in order to reproduce the results obtained in the recent lattice simulations.
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Aguilar, A. C., Binosi, D., & Papavassiliou, J. (2012). Unquenching the gluon propagator with Schwinger-Dyson equations. Phys. Rev. D, 86(1), 014032–24pp.
Abstract: In this article we use the Schwinger-Dyson equations to compute the nonperturbative modifications caused to the infrared finite gluon propagator (in the Landau gauge) by the inclusion of a small number of quark families. Our basic operating assumption is that the main bulk of the effect stems from the "one-loop dressed'' quark loop contributing to the full gluon self-energy. This quark loop is then calculated, using as basic ingredients the full quark propagator and quark-gluon vertex; for the quark propagator we use the solution obtained from the quark-gap equation, while for the vertex we employ suitable Ansatze, which guarantee the transversality of the answer. The resulting effect is included as a correction to the quenched gluon propagator, obtained in recent lattice simulations. Our main finding is that the unquenched propagator displays a considerable suppression in the intermediate momentum region, which becomes more pronounced as we increase the number of active quark families. The influence of the quarks on the saturation point of the propagator cannot be reliably computed within the present scheme; the general tendency appears to be to decrease it, suggesting a corresponding increase in the effective gluon mass. The renormalization properties of our results, and the uncertainties induced by the unspecified transverse part of the quark-gluon vertex, are discussed. Finally, the gluon propagator is compared with the available unquenched lattice data, showing rather good agreement.
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Binosi, D., Ibañez, D., & Papavassiliou, J. (2012). All-order equation of the effective gluon mass. Phys. Rev. D, 86(8), 085033–21pp.
Abstract: We present the general derivation of the full nonperturbative equation that governs the momentum evolution of the dynamically generated gluon mass, in the Landau gauge. The entire construction hinges crucially on the inclusion of longitudinally coupled vertices containing massless poles of nonperturbative origin, which preserve the form of the fundamental Slavnov-Taylor identities of the theory. The mass equation is obtained from a previously unexplored version of the Schwinger-Dyson equation for the gluon propagator, particular to the pinch technique-background field method formalism, which involves a reduced number of two-loop dressed diagrams, thus simplifying the calculational task considerably. The two-loop contributions turn out to be of paramount importance, modifying the qualitative features of the full mass equation and enabling the emergence of physically meaningful solutions. Specifically, the resulting homogeneous integral equation is solved numerically, subject to certain approximations, for the entire range of physical momenta, yielding positive-definite and monotonically decreasing gluon masses.
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Binosi, D., Ibañez, D., & Papavassiliou, J. (2013). QCD effective charge from the three-gluon vertex of the background-field method. Phys. Rev. D, 87(12), 125026–10pp.
Abstract: In this article we study in detail the prospects of determining the infrared finite QCD effective charge from a special kinematic limit of the vertex function corresponding to three background gluons. This particular Green's function satisfies a QED-like Ward identity, relating it to the gluon propagator, with no reference to the ghost sector. Consequently, its longitudinal form factors may be expressed entirely in terms of the corresponding gluon wave function, whose inverse is proportional to the effective charge. After reviewing certain important theoretical properties, we consider a typical lattice quantity involving this vertex, and derive its exact dependence on the various form factors, for arbitrary momenta. We then focus on the particular momentum configuration that eliminates any dependence on the (unknown) transverse form factors, projecting out only the desired quantity. A preliminary numerical analysis indicates that the effective charge is relatively insensitive to the numerical uncertainties that may afflict future simulations of the aforementioned lattice quantity. The numerical difficulties associated with a parallel determination of the dynamical gluon mass are briefly discussed.
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Aguilar, A. C., Binosi, D., & Papavassiliou, J. (2013). Gluon mass generation in the presence of dynamical quarks. Phys. Rev. D, 88(7), 074010–12pp.
Abstract: We study in detail the impact of dynamical quarks on the gluon mass generation mechanism, in the Landau gauge, for the case of a small number of quark families. As in earlier considerations, we assume that the main bulk of the unquenching corrections to the gluon propagator originates from the fully dressed quark-loop diagram. The nonperturbative evaluation of this diagram provides the key relation that expresses the unquenched gluon propagator as a deviation from its quenched counterpart. This relation is subsequently coupled to the integral equation that controls the momentum evolution of the effective gluon mass, which contains a single adjustable parameter; this constitutes a major improvement compared to the analysis presented in Aguilar et al. [Phys. Rev. D 86, 014032 (2012)], where the behavior of the gluon propagator in the deep infrared was estimated through numerical extrapolation. The resulting nonlinear system is then treated numerically, yielding unique solutions for the modified gluon mass and the quenched gluon propagator, which fully confirms the picture put forth recently in several continuum and lattice studies. In particular, an infrared finite gluon propagator emerges, whose saturation point is considerably suppressed, due to a corresponding increase in the value of the gluon mass. This characteristic feature becomes more pronounced as the number of active quark families increases, and can be deduced from the infrared structure of the kernel entering in the gluon mass equation.
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Aguilar, A. C., Binosi, D., Ibañez, D., & Papavassiliou, J. (2014). Effects of divergent ghost loops on the Green's functions of QCD. Phys. Rev. D, 89(8), 085008–26pp.
Abstract: In the present work, we discuss certain characteristic features encoded in some of the fundamental QCD Green's functions, for which the origin can be traced back to the nonperturbative masslessness of the ghost field, in the Landau gauge. Specifically, the ghost loops that contribute to these Green's functions display infrared divergences, akin to those encountered in the perturbative treatment, in contradistinction to the gluonic loops, for which perturbative divergences are tamed by the dynamical generation of an effective gluon mass. In d = 4, the aforementioned divergences are logarithmic, thus causing a relatively mild impact, whereas in d = 3 they are linear, giving rise to enhanced effects. In the case of the gluon propagator, these effects do not interfere with its finiteness, but make its first derivative diverge at the origin, and introduce a maximum in the region of infrared momenta. The three-gluon vertex is also affected, and the induced divergent behavior is clearly exposed in certain special kinematic configurations, usually considered in lattice simulations; the sign of the corresponding divergence is unambiguously determined. The main underlying concepts are developed in the context of a simple toy model, which demonstrates clearly the interconnected nature of the various effects. The picture that emerges is subsequently corroborated by a detailed nonperturbative analysis, combining lattice results with the dynamical integral equations governing the relevant ingredients, such as the nonperturbative ghost loop and the momentumdependent gluon mass.
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