Real Time Dynamics and Confinement in the <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:msub><mml:mrow class="MJX-TeXAtom-ORD"><mml:mi mathvariant="double-struck">Z</mml:mi></mml:mrow><mml:mrow class="MJX-TeXAtom-ORD"><mml:mi>n</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:msub></mml:math> Schwinger-Weyl lattice model for 1+1 QED

Abstract

We study the out-of-equilibrium properties of <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:mn>1</mml:mn><mml:mo>+</mml:mo><mml:mn>1</mml:mn></mml:math> dimensional quantum electrodynamics (QED), discretized via the staggered-fermion Schwinger model with an Abelian <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:msub><mml:mrow class="MJX-TeXAtom-ORD"><mml:mi mathvariant="double-struck">Z</mml:mi></mml:mrow><mml:mrow class="MJX-TeXAtom-ORD"><mml:mi>n</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:msub></mml:math> gauge group. We look at two relevant phenomena: first, we analyze the stability of the Dirac vacuum with respect to particle/antiparticle pair production, both spontaneous and induced by an external electric field; then, we examine the string breaking mechanism. We observe a strong effect of confinement, which acts by suppressing both spontaneous pair production and string breaking into quark/antiquark pairs, indicating that the system dynamics displays a number of out-of-equilibrium features.