Spectrum of the QCD flux tube in 3d SU(2) lattice gauge theory

Understand

Evidence from the lattice suggests that formation of a flux tube between a $q\bar{q}$ pair in the QCD vacuum leads to quark confinement.

• For large separations between the quarks, it is conjectured that the flux tube has a behaviour similar to an oscillating bosonic string, supported by lattice data for the groundstate $q\bar{q}$ potential.
• We measure the excited states of the flux tube in 3d SU(2) gauge theory with three different couplings inside the scaling region.
• We compare our results to predictions of effective string theories.