Publicising lattice field theory through visualisation

Abstract

The gluon field configurations that form the foundation of every lattice QCD calculation contain a rich diversity of emergent nonperturbative structure. Visualisations of these phenomena not only serve to explain the concept of a nontrivial vacuum but also entertain a diverse audience from research funding panels to the next generation of science enthusiasts. In this brief review, a collection of QCD-vacuum visualisations is presented including the structure of chromo-electromagnetic fields, centre-cluster evolution at finite temperature, the structure of projected centre vortices, and novel correlations between the electromagnetic fields of QED and the chromo-electromagnetic fields of QCD in QED+QCD dynamical-fermion simulations from the QCDSF collaboration.