The effective Coulomb potential in SU(3) lattice Yang-Mills theory

Abstract

We study the infrared behavior of the effective Coulomb potential in lattice SU(3) Yang-Mills theory in the Coulomb gauge. We use lattices up to a size of 48^4 and three values of the inverse coupling, beta=5.8, 6.0 and 6.2. While finite-volume effects are hardly visible in the effective Coulomb potential, scaling violations and a strong dependence on the choice of Gribov copy are observed. We obtain bounds for the Coulomb string tension that are in agreement with Zwanziger's inequality relating the Coulomb string tension to the Wilson string tension.

11 pages, 6 figures; more thorough discussion of the remaining Gribov ambiguity of the infrared behavior of the Coulomb potential added, bounds for the Coulomb string tension given, Figures completed, version to appear in Phys. Rev. D