Mainz 2012 – wissenschaftliches Programm
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HK: Fachverband Physik der Hadronen und Kerne
HK 14: Schwerionenkollisionen und QCD Phasen
HK 14.1: Gruppenbericht
Montag, 19. März 2012, 16:30–17:00, P 5
Fractional electric charge and quark confinement — •Sam R. Edwards1, André Sternbeck2, Johannes Weyrich1, Philipp Scior1, and Lorenz von Smekal1 — 1Institut für Kernphysik, TU Darmstadt, Germany — 2Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität Regensburg, Germany
It is usual to treat quantum chromodynamics (QCD) as an isolated theory when studying non-perturbative phenomena such as quark confinement. The finite temperature deconfinement transition of the pure gauge theory (i.e. static quarks) is then characterized by the breaking of center symmetry. It mirrors the order-disorder transition of a 3-state Potts model, with center vortices playing the role of spin interfaces. This elegant description is spoiled by the introduction of dynamical quarks, which explicitly break center symmetry. Note, however, that quarks also carry fractional electric charge. This bestows the Standard Model with a hidden global symmetry that combines the centers of the color and electroweak gauge groups. A color center phase may be compensated by an electromagnetic one. The corresponding combined defects may be relevant for confinement, much like ordinary center vortices are in pure SU(N) gauge theories. We explore this possibility in a 2-color model with dynamical Wilson quarks carrying half-integer electric charge.