2005/12/31 by Michael Grady, Grady, Michael
Physics and Astronomy · #Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism #Quantum Chromodynamics and Particle Interactions #Theoretical and Computational Physics #hep-lat
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.hep-lat/0601002
23 pages, 10 figures, LaTex
arxiv created 2005/12/31 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01
Lattice gauge theories are considered with a partial axial gauge fixing along one direction only. This leaves a residual gauge symmetry that is still local in three directions but now global in one. It is found that this Nd-1 fold symmetry (on an Nd lattice) breaks spontaneously at weak coupling with the gauge field elements on links averaged over 1-d chains along the gauge-fixing direction as order parameters. This phase transition is observed with Monte-Carlo simulations for both 3-d Z2 and 4-d SU(2) pure gauge theories and appears to be coincident with the deconfinement transition. This work calls into question the equivalence of different gauges in certain circumstances.