Physics of the QCD Conformal Window
The QCD conformal window provides a unique setting where non-perturbative gauge dynamics transition from a confining and chirally broken phase to a scale-invariant regime. In this talk, we explore the implications of introducing a heavy quark within the perturbative regime of the conformal window, focusing on the resulting heavy meson spectrum and wave functions as a function of the number of light flavors and quark mass. Employing an adaptation of heavy quark effective theory to this regime, we analyze the conformal Isgur-Wise function, a key quantity in heavy quark physics, and discuss how residual low-energy confining dynamics modify the heavy meson spectrum.
We will also explore the mechanism responsible for the emergence of confinement in this setting. Our approach establishes a systematic framework for extending heavy quark analyses beyond the infinite mass defect approximation in conformal field theories. These results provide new insights into the interplay between conformality, confinement and heavy quark dynamics, with potential implications for lattice QCD and beyond.
Host: Thomas Appelquist