Randomness on the Lattice

Abstract

In this lecture we review recent lattice QCD studies of the statistical properties of the eigenvalues of the QCD Dirac operator. We find that the fluctuations of the smallest Dirac eigenvalues are described by chiral Random Matrix Theories with the global symmetries of the QCD partition function. Deviations from chiral Random Matrix Theory beyond the Thouless energy can be understood analytically by means of partially quenched chiral perturbation theory.