Z(3) Interfaces in Lattice Gauge Theory

Abstract

A study is made of properties of the Z(3) interface which forms between the different ordered phases of pure SU(3) gauge theory above a critical temperature. The theory is simulated on a (2+1)-D lattice at various temperatures above this critical point. At high temperatures, the interface tension is shown to agree well with the prediction of perturbation theory. Near the critical temperature, the interface behaviour is characterised by various displacement moments, and modelled by an interacting scalar field theory. This thesis is provided for reference, as it gives full details of the computational and statistical methods outlined only briefly in preprints hep-lat/9605040 and hep-lat/9607005.