No Strings Attached: Potential vs. Interaction Energy In QCD

Abstract

In infrared-stable fixed-point field theories, the interaction energy of a test particle is proportional to the non-relativistic (heavy source) coordinate-space potential derived from the field strength produced by that source. This is no longer true in ultraviolet-stable fixed-point field theories (UVSFPFT) as they may not have a finite infrared fixed point. This leads to the possibility that UVSFPFTs may have quite conventional field strength distributions despite the unusual spatial dependence expected for the interaction energy.