Charged Boundary States in the Schwinger Model

Abstract

QED in 1+1 dimensions possesses two rare and interesting properties - It is both exactly solvable and confining. The combination of these two properties makes it the perfect candidate for a toy model for QCD. We study this model on an interval, where new features of the theory are revealed. We show that on an interval, the model admits charged states, which is unexpected for a confining theory. We show that the charged states are boundary states, and calculate their mass. This result could lead one to expect a similar result in QCD, where single quarks could be isolated near a boundary.