Exploration of the phase diagram of 5D anisotropic SU(2) gauge theory

Understand

In this paper we attempt a non-perturbative study of the five dimensional, anisotropic SU(2) gauge theory on the lattice using Monte-Carlo techniques.

• Our goal is the exploration of the phase diagram, define the various phases and the critical boundary lines.
• Three phases appear, two of them are continuations of the Strong and the Weak coupling phases of pure 4d SU(2) to non-zero coupling $\beta^{'}$ in the fifth transverse direction and they are separated by a crossover transition, while the third phase is a 5D Coulombic phase.
• We provide evidence that the phase transition between the 5D Coulomb phase and the Weak coupling phase is a second order phase transition.