English

Fractal Propagators in QED and QCD and Implications for the Problem of Confinement

High Energy Physics - Theory 2011-08-04 v1

Abstract

We show that QED radiative corrections change the propagator of a charged Dirac particle so that it acquires a fractional anomalous exponent connected with the fine structure constant. The result is a nonlocal object which represents a particle with a roughened trajectory whose fractal dimension can be calculated. This represents a significant shift from the traditional Wigner notions of asymptotic states with sharp well-defined masses. Non-abelian long-range fields are more difficult to handle, but we are able to calculate the effects due to Newtonian gravitational corrections. We suggest a new approach to confinement in QCD based on a particle trajectory acquiring a fractal dimension which goes to zero in the infrared as a consequence of self-interaction, representing a particle which, in the infrared limit, cannot propagate.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.hep-th/0612084,
  title  = {Fractal Propagators in QED and QCD and Implications for the Problem of Confinement},
  author = {S. Gulzari and Y. N. Srivastava and J. Swain and A. Widom},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:hep-th/0612084},
  year   = {2011}
}

Comments

To appear in Brazilian Journal of Physics, special edition for the proceedings of IRQCD, Rio de Janeiro, 5-9 June 2006