IMSc Webinar

Localisation of Dirac eigenmodes in finite-temperature lattice gauge theory

Matteo Giordano

Eötvös Loránd University, Institute for Theoretical Physics

Ample numerical evidence from lattice calculations shows that the low modes of the Dirac operator become localised in the high-temperature phase of gauge theories, suggesting a strong connection between eigenmode localisation and deconfinement. In this talk I review the evidence for this connection, and its qualitative explanation in terms of the behaviour of the Polyakov loop in the deconfined phase. I then briefly discuss our current understanding of the role played by local topological fluctuations of gauge fields and the associated (approximate) zero modes, and the effects of a finite density of localised near-zero modes on Goldstone excitations in the chiral limit.