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The thermodynamics of Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) in external (electro-)magnetic fields shows some unexpected features like inverse magnetic catalysis, which have been revealed mainly through lattice studies. Many effective descriptions, on the other hand, use Landau levels or approximate the system by just the lowest Landau level (LLL). Analyzing lattice configurations we ask whether such a picture is justified. We find the LLL to be separated from the rest by a spectral gap in the two-dimensional Dirac operator and analyze the corresponding LLL signature in four dimensions. We determine to what extent the quark condensate is LLL dominated at strong magnetic fields.
We will discuss the issue of Landau levels of quarks in lattice QCD in an external magnetic field. We will show that in the two-dimensional case the lowest Landau level can be identified unambiguously even if the strong interactions are turned on. Starting from this observation, we will then show how one can define a “plowest Landau level” in the four-dimensional case, and discuss how much of the observed effects of a magnetic field can be explained in terms of it. Our results can be used to test the validity of low-energy models of QCD that make use of the lowest-Landau-level approximation.