Baryons and Confining Strings

Oliver Jahn
and
Philippe de Forcrand
ETH Zürich

Lattice 2003
 Motivation

• Numerical evidence for Y law in qqq potential

à supports string picture of heavy baryons.

• Effect of string fluctuations?

à “Lüscher term” for qqq potential?

• Large qqq separations needed to see Y law

à important to understand subleading term.

building on:
Lüscher, Symanzik, Weisz: NPB 173 (1980) 365,
Lüscher: NPB 180 (1981) 317,
Lüscher, Weisz: JHEP 0207 (2002) 049.
 Recall mesonic potential

Classical ground state: minimal-area world sheet

q̄
q

à linear potential: Vcl T = σL T .

D−2
Fluctuations: transverse vector field ξ(t, s) ∈ on world sheet,
Dirichlet b.c. at quarks.

Expand string action to second order in ξ . Must be invariant under

• Euclidean transformations of (t, s),
• rotations and translations of ξ .
Z T Z L n
1
¡ 2 2 4 ¢o
=
⇒ Sfluct = dt ds 2 ∂ξ · ∂ξ + O (∂ ξ) , (∂ξ) , . . .
0 0
+ boundary terms

Gaussian integral over ξ yields renormalisation of σ and the “Lüscher

term”:
1 π −2
V = − lim ln Z = σrL + c − (D−2) + O(L )
T →∞ T 24L

1
• Higher-order terms in S do not affect term → universal.
L
 Baryonic potential

Classical ground state: minimal area =

⇒ “Y configuration”

2π junction at Steiner point:

3

~
e1 3
X
σ ~
eα = 0
α=1
L3
2π
L1 =
⇒ ∠(~
eα , ~
eβ ) = .
3
L2

à “Y law”: Vcl = σmeson (L1 + L2 + L3)

| {z }
LY
 Fluctuations: eα · ξ~α = 0.
transverse: ~

B.c. from continuity:

~
e1

¡ ¢
ξ~α t, Lα + ~ µ(t) = µ
eα·~ ~ ⊥α(t)
t

µ ¶ (zero at quarks, periodic in t)

s t
µ
~ (t) Γα

ξ~α (t, s) t µ
~ (t)

µ
~ ⊥α (t)
s
s = Lα + ~
eα ·~
µ(t)
Expand action to second order:
Z Z
1X ³
1 ˙ 2
´
S = Sk + ∂ξα·∂ξα + m T + 2 dt |µ
~|
2 α Γα

(m = self-energy of junction)
Xµ Z ¶
Sk = σ Lα T + dt ~
eα·~
µ(t) = σLY T
α

So

1
Vqqq = − lim ln Z
T →∞ T
Z R 2 Y 3 Z R
−(σLY +m)T −m | ˙|
µ
~ − ~α |2
1 |∂ ξ
Z=e Dµ e 2 Dξα e 2
α=1 (µ)

| {z }
1. Integrate over ξ for fixed µ Ã Zα(~
µ)
2. Integrate over µ.
Blade fluctuations for fixed junction
R
− 21 |∂ ξ~min |2 ¯¯ ¡ ¢ ¯ − D−2
Zα(~
µ) = e det −∆Γα ¯ 2

where ξ~min is the minimal-area solution for fixed µ

~ (t) (to linear order):
¡ ¢
∆ξ~min = 0 , ~
ξmin t, Lα + ~
eα·~
µ(t) = µ
~ ⊥α(t)

and ∆Γα has Dirichlet b.c. on the flat domain Γα = T

Lα Lα +~
eα ·~
µ(t)

Roughly:
~ 1 X ⊥ sinh(ωs) iωt 2
• ξmin = √ µ
~ω e + O(µ )
T ω sinh(ωLα)
where µ
~ ω are the Fourier components of µ
~ (t). So

Z X
2 ⊥ 2 3
1
2 |∂ ξ~min | = 1
2 ω coth(ωLα) |~
µω | + O(µ )
ω

This measures the change in minimal area due to µ

~ ⊥.

• Pauli-Villars regularisation for det(−∆Γα )

→ renormalisation of σ and m
→ determinant in terms of heat kernel Tr et∆.

• After regularisation:
Conformally map Γα to rectangle L0 × T of same area
 Conformal map
z f (z )

f
T T

L0 Lα + ~
eα ·~
µ(t)

1. Map the cylinder (strip) × ST1 to itself:

periodic in Im z
z }| {
X ωz 2πn
f (z) = z + bω e ω=
T
ω

2. The coefficients bω are fixed by

f (i )= i
0 2
f (L + it)= Lα + ~
eα·~
µ(t) + it + O(µ ) .

1
Note: area cannot be changed: L0 = L + √ ~
eα·~
µ0 .
T
2L0
→ modular parameter τ = of cylinder.
T

Laplacian changes by a scalar factor:

2ρ(z)
∆ Γα = e ∆L0×T
2
ρ = − 12 ln |∂z f |

à det(−∆Γα ) [Lüscher, Symanzik, Weisz]

Find
³ iT ´ 1 X 3 2
ln det(−∆Γα ) = 2 ln η − ω coth(ωLα) |~
eα·~
µω |
2L0 12π
ω &
↓
π
− T + f (~
µ0 ) will contribute at O(L−2 ) only
12Lα
&
↓
will contribute at O(T 0 ) only
VLüscher (Lα )

Junction fluctuations: Gaussian integral over µ

~ (t)

Final result:

k ⊥ −2
Vqqq = σrLY + mr + V1/L + (D−3)V1/L + O(L )
Z∞ · X ¸
k π X 1 dω
V1/L =− + ln 13 coth(ωLα) coth(ωLβ )
24 α Lα 2π α<β
0

Z∞ · X ¸
⊥ π X 1 dω
V1/L =− + ln 13 coth(ωLα)
24 α Lα 2π α
0

k
• V1/L comes from fluctuations in plane of qqq,
⊥
• V1/L from fluctuations perpendicular to it.
k,⊥
• Note: V1/L are homogeneous in Lα.
 A check: splitting the mesonic string

q̄
q

L2
L1

⊥ k
V = σr(L1 + L2) + mr + (D−2)V1/L (no V1/L)

where

³ 1 ´ Z∞ h i
⊥ π 1 dω ¡ ¢
V1/L =− + + ln 21 coth(ωL1) + coth(ωL2)
24 L1 L2 2π
|0 µ {z ¶ }
π 1 1 1
+ −
24 L1 L2 L1 + L2
π 1
=−
24 L1 + L2

Works fine.
 Special cases

• Equilateral case:
π
V1/L = 0 − (D − 3)
16L
1
D = 3: no term for equilateral geometry!
L
³X ´
• Expand about equilateral case: Lα = (1 + εα)L εα = 0
α
µ ¶
π X 2 π 2X
V1/L =+ ε − (D−3) 1+ εα
144L α α 16L 9 α

D = 3:
– Positive, so Vqqq is not concave as a function of the scale L,
but has an inflection point!
Vqqq

c
σL +
L
– This is true for all geometries:
L
3
1
L2

24LY
V1/L(1, L1, L2)
1 π

L2
0 0 1
0 1 3 L1
L1
D = 4:
– Always negative, so V is concave:
3

-4.5
L2

24LY
V1/L(1, L1, L2)
1 π

-5.5
0
0 1 3
L1
– Absolute value much larger than in 3d (≈ 4.5 vs. . 0.5).
– Geometry-dependence smaller (note: same scale in plots).
– Equilateral result coincides with sum of Lüscher terms of
“half mesonic sheets”:
X1
VLüscher (2Lα)
α
2

Not true for general geometries or dimensions.

 Lattice gauge theory (D = 3)
5 2
48 × 32
¡ 2 3¢
4 7.2 × 4.8 fm
a = 0.15 fm
3
Vqqq

2 Vqqbar(LY) ~ σqqbar LY - b1/LY + c1

1 small
large
off-axis
0 on-axis
σ LY - b2/LY + c2
σqqbar LY - b3/LY + c3
-1
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3
LY [fm]

Remove linear part (with qq̄ string tension):

large
0.06 small
c - b/LY
0.05
Vqqq - σqqbar LY - cqqbar

0.04

π inflection
0.03 +1.84(20)
24LY point!
0.02
π
0.01
+1.69(16)
24LY

0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3
LY [fm]
π
• Expected sign, but too large (theory: 0.39 ).
24LY
• String picture inadequate? V1/L not universal? (junction → new scale)
• Small qqq geometries: shortest blade . 0.4 fm !
• Very sensitive to estimate of σqq̄.
 Conclusions

Free bosonic string:

1
• term in baryonic potential positive in (2+1)d à inflection point.
L
• Negative in D > 3.

LGT:

• Positive sign verified in (2+1)d.

• Absolute value larger in LGT; deviations due to

1
– non-universality of term in baryonic case?
L
– too small geometries (shortest blade . 0.4 fm)?

Outlook

• Check other geometries (in particular equilateral).

• SU(N )
– Compare with large-N prediction.