On Baryon Number Non-Conservation in Two-Dimensional O(2N+1) QCD

Abstract

We construct a classical dynamical system whose phase space is a certain infinite-dimensional Grassmannian manifold, and propose that it is equivalent to the large N limit of two-dimensional QCD with an O(2N+1) gauge group. In this theory, we find that baryon number is a topological quantity that is conserved only modulo 2. We also relate this theory to the master field approach to matrix models.

22 pages. Accepted for publication in Int. J. Mod. Phys. A