SPECTROSCOPY, EQUATION OF STATE AND MONOPOLE PERCOLATION IN LATTICE QED WITH 2 FLAVORS

Non-compact lattice QED with two flavors of light dynamical quarks is simulated on 16(4) lattices, and the chiral condensate, monopole densi ty and susceptibility and the meson masses are measured. Data from rel atively high statistics runs at relatively small bare fermion masses o f 0.005, 0.01, 0.02 and 0.03 (lattice units) are presented. Three inde pendent methods of data analysis indicate that the critical point occu rs at beta = 0.225(5) and that the monopole condensation and chiral sy mmetry breaking transitions are coincident. The monopole condensation data satisfies finite-size scaling hypotheses with critical indices co mpatible with four-dimensional percolation. The best chiral equation o f state fit produces critical exponents (delta = 2.31, beta(mag) = 0.7 63) which deviate significantly from mean field expectations. Data for the ratio of the sigma to pion masses produces an estimate of the cri tical index delta in good agreement with chiral condensate measurement s. In the strong coupling phase the ratio of the meson masses are M(si gma)2/M(rho)2 almost-equal-to 0.35, M(A)1(2)/M(rho)2 almost-equal-to 1 .4 and M(pi)2/M(rho)2 almost-equal-to 0.0, while on the weak coupling side of the transition M(pi)2/M(rho)2 almost-equal-to 1.0, M(A)1(2)/M( rho)2 almost-equal-to 1.0, indicating the restoration of chiral symmet ry.