A random matrix model for two-colour QCD at non-zero quark density

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University, 17/02/2011.We solve a random matrix ensemble called the chiral Ginibre orthogonal ensemble, or chGinOE. This non-Hermitian ensemble has applications to modelling particular low-energy limits of two-colour quantum chromo-dynamics (QCD). In particular, the matrices model the Dirac operator for quarks in the presence of a gluon gauge field of fixed topology, with an arbitrary number of flavours of virtual quarks and a non-zero quark chemical potential. We derive the joint probability density function (JPDF) of eigenvalues for this ensemble for finite matrix size N, which we then write in a factorised form. We then present two different methods for determining the correlation functions, resulting in compact expressions involving Pfaffians containing the associated kernel. We determine the microscopic large-N limits at strong and weak non-Hermiticity (required for physical applications) for both the real and complex eigenvalue densities. Various other properties of the ensemble are also investigated, including the skew-orthogonal polynomials and the fraction of eigenvalues that are real. A number of the techniques that we develop have more general applicability within random matrix theory, some of which we also explore in this thesis.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC