---
abstract: |
    We present a quantitative analysis of chiral symmetry breaking in two-flavour continuum QCD in the quenched limit. The theory is set-up at perturbative momenta, where asymptotic freedom leads to precise results. The evolution of QCD towards the hadronic phase is achieved by means of dynamical hadronisation in the non-perturbative functional renormalisation group approach.

    We use a vertex expansion scheme based on gauge-invariant operators and discuss its convergence properties and the remaining systematic errors. In particular we present results for the quark propagator, the full tensor structure and momentum dependence of the quark-gluon vertex, and the four-fermi scatterings.
author:
- Mario Mitter
- 'Jan M. Pawlowski'
- Nils Strodthoff
bibliography:
- '../bib\_master.bib'
title: Chiral symmetry breaking in continuum QCD
---

Introduction
============

The understanding of the hadron spectrum as well as the phase structure of QCD at finite temperature and density are very important and long-standing problems. Already a qualitative access to the hadron spectrum beyond low-lying resonances and the phase structure at large densities requires a quantitative hold on competing fluctuations as well as the phenomena of dynamical chiral symmetry breaking and confinement.

Building on previous studies [@Braun:2008pi; @Braun:2009gm], this work together with a related qualitative study 