The gluon mass generation mechanism: a concise primer

Understand

We present a pedagogical overview of the nonperturbative mechanism that endows gluons with a dynamical mass.

• This analysis is performed based on pure Yang-Mills theories in the Landau gauge, within the theoretical framework that emerges from the combination of the pinch technique with the background field method.
• In particular, we concentrate on the Schwinger-Dyson equation satisfied by the gluon propagator and examine the necessary conditions for obtaining finite solutions within the infrared region.
• The role of seagull diagrams receives particular attention, as do the identities that enforce the cancellation of all potential quadratic divergences.