Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 14, 2026

08:43
Calibration Procedures for Orthogonal Superposition Rheology
Published on: November 18, 2020
Toward TeV conformality
T Appelquist1, A Avakian, R Babich
1Department of Physics, Sloane Laboratory, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|April 7, 2010
Summary
We investigated chiral properties in SU(3) gauge theory with varying fermion numbers. Results show significant chiral condensate enhancement as fermion numbers increase, nearing infrared conformality.
Area of Science:
- Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD)
- High Energy Physics
- Condensed Matter Physics
Background:
- SU(3) gauge theory describes the strong nuclear force.
- Chiral symmetry is crucial for understanding particle interactions.
- Lattice simulations are key to studying non-perturbative QCD phenomena.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of increasing fermion flavors (Nf) on chiral properties.
- To determine the chiral condensate and Nambu-Goldstone-boson decay constant ratio.
- To explore the transition from confinement to infrared conformality.
Main Methods:
- Lattice simulations of SU(3) gauge theory.
- Analysis of chiral condensate (ψψ) and Nambu-Goldstone-boson decay constant (F).
- Systematic variation of the number of massless Dirac fermions (Nf) from 2 to 6.
Main Results:
- For Nf=2, the ratio ψψ/F³ matches experimental QCD values.
- For Nf=6, a significant enhancement of ψψ/F³ is observed.
- The observed enhancement suggests proximity to a phase transition.
Conclusions:
- Increasing fermion flavors drives the system towards infrared conformality.
- The study provides evidence for a transition from confinement to conformal behavior.
- Lattice QCD simulations are effective in probing fundamental properties of strong interactions.
Related Concept Videos
Conformity
Conformity is the change in a person’s behavior to go along with the group, even if that person does not agree with the group.
Torsion of Noncircular Members
Circular shafts undergoing torsional stress maintain their cross-sectional integrity due to their axisymmetric nature. This symmetry ensures an even distribution of stress, allowing the shaft to withstand torsion without distorting. In contrast, square bars, lacking this axial symmetry, experience significant distortion across their cross-sections when subjected to torsion, with the exception of along their diagonals and at lines connecting midpoints. A detailed examination of a cubic element...
Torsion in Vector Calculus
A toy train ascending a winding track that curves and tilts offers an intuitive view of torsion, a key geometric concept in the study of space curves. While curvature measures how sharply a path bends, torsion captures how the path twists out of the plane of bending. This twisting behavior is crucial in understanding three-dimensional motion and is precisely described using the Frenet–Serret framework.At each point along a space curve, the Frenet–Serret frame consists of three orthogonal unit...
Coplanar Forces
Consider an object upon which multiple forces are acting. If the lines of action of each force lie within the same plane, the system can be considered coplanar. The Cartesian vector form can be used to resolve each force into its respective components. For a coplanar system, the system will be in equilibrium if each component of the resultant force equals zero and the resultant force on the system is zero. If the sum of the forces is not equal to zero, then the object will not be in equilibrium...
Toroids
A toroid is a closely wound donut-shaped coil constructed using a single conducting wire. In general, it is assumed that a toriod consists of multiple circular loops perpendicular to its axis.
When connected to a supply, the magnetic field generated in the toroid has field lines circular and concentric to its axis. Conventionally, the direction of this magnetic field is expressed using the right-hand rule. If the fingers of the right hand curl in the current direction, the thumb points in the...
When connected to a supply, the magnetic field generated in the toroid has field lines circular and concentric to its axis. Conventionally, the direction of this magnetic field is expressed using the right-hand rule. If the fingers of the right hand curl in the current direction, the thumb points in the...
Conformations of Ethane and Propane
In an organic molecule, free rotation about the carbon-carbon single bond results in energetically different conformers of the molecule. Due to this rotation, called the internal rotation, ethane has two major conformations — staggered and eclipsed.
Staggered conformation is a low energy and more stable conformation with the C-H bonds on the front carbon placed at 60°dihedral angles relative to the C-H bonds on the back carbon, leading to a reduced torsional strain. In staggered ethane, the...
Staggered conformation is a low energy and more stable conformation with the C-H bonds on the front carbon placed at 60°dihedral angles relative to the C-H bonds on the back carbon, leading to a reduced torsional strain. In staggered ethane, the...

