Density of States in Gauge Theories

Abstract

The density of states is calculated for the SU(2), SU(3), and a compact U(1) lattice gauge theories using a modified version of the Wang-Landau algorithm. We find that the density of states of the SU(2) gauge theory can be reliably calculated over a range of 120,000 orders of magnitude for lattice sizes as big as 20(4). We demonstrate the potential of the algorithm by reproducing the SU(2) average action, its specific heat, and the critical couplings of the weak first order transition in U(1).