New Tool to Detect Inhomogeneous Chiral Symmetry Breaking

Abstract: In this letter, we discuss a novel method to search for inhomogeneous chiral symmetry breaking in theories with fermions. The prime application we have in mind is QCD, but the method is also applicable for other theories, including solid-state applications. It is based on an extension of the chiral susceptibility to inhomogeneous phases and it works as a stability analysis. Our method allows us to determine when homogeneous solutions have the tendency to create spatially modulated condensates. As proof of principle, we apply this technique to a rainbow-ladder QCD model and find that its phase diagram contains an inhomogeneous region.