Winding numbers for SU(3) lattice gauge fields

Abstract

A method for finding the winding numbers of simplicial complexes in the group space of SU(3) has been developed and tested on 10,000 random complexes. The method may be extended to find the winding numbers of the cell complexes of the Phillips-Stone algorithm for the topological charge of lattice gauge fields. This paper gives the physical motivation for studying the topological aspects of lattice gauge fields, discusses the geometry of the SU(3) group space, and explains the method of finding the winding numbers of complexes in SU(3). © 1990.