Properties of near-zero modes and chiral symmetry breaking

We study localization and chirality properties of eigenvectors of the lattice Dirac operator. In particular, we focus on the dependence of our observables on the size of the corresponding eigenvalue, which allows us to study the transition of a near-zero mode into a bulk mode. We analyze ensembles of quenched SU(3) configurations using a Dirac operator which is a systematic expansion in path length of a solution of the Ginsparg-Wilson equation. Our results support the interpretation of the excitations relevant for chiral symmetry breaking as interacting instantons and anti-instantons. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.