Towards the topological susceptibility with overlap fermions

Abstract

Using a reweighting technique combined with a low-mode truncation of the fermionic determinant, we estimate the quark-mass dependence of the QCD topological susceptibility with overlap fermions. In contrast to previous lattice simulations which all used non-chiral fermions, our results appear to be consistent with the simple continuum model of Dürr. This indicates that at current lattice spacings the use of the index theorem might not be justified and the fermionic definition of the charge might be needed.

Comments: 8 pages, substantially revised and updated version, talk presented at NATO Advanced Research Workshop "Confinement, Topology, and other Non-Perturbative Aspects of QCD", Jan. 21-27, 2002, Stara Lesna, Slovakia