Center Dominance and Z2 Vortices in SU(2) Lattice Gauge Theory
Abstract
We find, in close analogy to abelian dominance in maximal abelian gauge, the phenomenon of center dominance in maximal center gauge for SU(2) lattice gauge theory. Maximal center gauge is a gauge-fixing condition that preserves a residual Z2 gauge symmetry; ``center projection'' is the projection of SU(2) link variables onto Z2 center elements, and ``center dominance'' is the fact that the center-projected link elements carry most of the information about the string tension of the full theory. We present numerical evidence that the thin Z2 vortices of the projected configurations are associated with ``thick'' Z2 vortices in the unprojected configurations. The evidence also suggests that the thick Z2 vortices may play a significant role in the confinement process.
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