Particle theory

Abstract:

We calculate the low-lying glueball spectrum and various string tensions in SU(N) lattice gauge theories in 2 + 1 dimensions, and extrapolate the results to the continuum limit. We do so for for the range N ∈ [2, 16] so as to control the N -dependence with a useful precision. We observe a number of striking near-degeneracies in the various JPC sectors of the glueball spectrum, in particular between C = + and C = − states. We calculate the string tensions of flux tubes in a number of representations, and provide evidence that the leading correction to the N -dependence of the k-string tensions is ∝ 1/N rather than ∝ 1/N2, and that the dominant binding of k fundamental flux tubes into a k-string is via pairwise interactions. We comment on the possible implications of our results for the dynamics of these gauge theories.