Event-Chain Monte Carlo for Yang-Mills SU(N) lattice field theory I : Design and proof of concept

Abstract

We develop two implementations of the Event-Chain Monte Carlo (ECMC) algorithm for Yang-Mills $\mathrm{SU}(N)$ lattice gauge theories with the Wilson action. These algorithms consist in a succession of local ballistic updates intersped with stochastic events, resulting in an irreversible and rejection-free Markov process. The resulting dynamics satisfy global balance, ensuring the correct equilibrium distribution. The algorithms are formulated for general $\mathrm{SU}(N)$ Yang-Mills theories with Wilson action and implemented for the case $N=3$. Numerical tests on four-dimensional lattices show that standard gauge observables, such as the mean plaquette, agree with results obtained using conventional Monte Carlo algorithms. These results provide a first validation of ECMC as a viable sampling scheme for Yang-Mills lattice gauge theories.