Spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking in lattice QCD is studied by calculating special four fermion correlation functions using the Monte Carlo method. In the continuum theory in the limit of short distance and small mass these functions are related to the order parameter [Formula: see text]. We found a range of quark mass for which the predicted relations approximately hold, using the Susskind formulation of fermions. However, we encountered a theoretical problem in the latter formulation concerning the short distance behavior of the correlation functions of different spin and flavor. This may cast some doubt on the interpretation of spin and flavor in this formulation.
New perspective on the scalar meson puzzle, from spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking beyond BCS
