Particle theory

Abstract:

We study the detailed properties of [Formula presented] domain walls in the deconfined high-temperature phase of the [Formula presented] SU(2) gauge theory. These walls are studied both by computer simulations of the lattice theory and by one-loop perturbative calculations. The latter are carried out both in the continuum and on the lattice. We find that leading order perturbation theory reproduces the detailed properties of these domain walls remarkably accurately even at temperatures where the effective dimensionless expansion parameter [Formula presented] is close to unity. The quantities studied include the surface tension, the action density profiles, roughening, and the electric screening mass. It is only for the last quantity that we find an exception to the precocious success of perturbation theory. All this shows that, despite the presence of infrared divergences at higher orders, high-[Formula presented] perturbation theory can be an accurate calculational tool. © 1997 The American Physical Society.