Testing the Leutwyler-Smilga prediction regarding the global topological charge distribution on the lattice

Abstract

I give a sketch of my recent attempt to test the prediction by Leutwyler and Smilga according to which, for QCD in a finite box with $N_f\ge 2$, the combination $x=V\Sigma m$ indicates whether the net topological charge of the gauge background proves relevant ($x\ll 1$) or irrelevant ($x\gg 1$) for physical observables.

Comments: 6 pages, talk given at QCD'00, Montpellier (France), 6-12 July 2000