Abstract :
A gauge invariant, non-local observable is constructed in lattice pure gauge theory, which is identical to the gluon propagator in a particular gauge. The transfer matrix formalism is used to show that this correlator decays exponentially with eigenvalues of the Hamiltonian. This implies a gauge invariant singularity structure of the propagator in momentum space, permitting a non-perturbative definition of a parton mass. The relation to gauge fixing and the extension to matter fields are discussed.
