We explore whether "f$_{0}$(600) or $\sigma$" exists as a pole in QCD, by a full lattice QCD simulation on the $8^{3} \times 16$ lattice using the plaquette action and Wilson fermions. It is shown that a low-mass $\sigma$ pole exists owing to the disconnected diagram of the meson propagator. A discussion is given on the physical content of the $\sigma$.

I describe some insight obtained from a lattice calculation on the possibility that the light scalar mesons are \qbar^2 q^2 states rather than \qbar q. First I review some general features of \qbar^2 q^2 states in QCD inspired quark models. Then I describe a lattice QCD calculation of pseudoscalar meson scattering amplitudes, ignoring quark loops and quark annihilation, which finds indications that for sufficiently heavy quarks there is a stable four-quark bound state with JPC=0{++} and non-exotic flavor quantum numbers.

We investigate the propagator of "f$_{0}$(600) or the $\sigma$" by the full-QCD simulation with Wilson fermions. We calculate the mesonic correlator in the I=0, $J^P=0^{+}$ channel on the $8^{3} \times 16$ lattice. Plaquet action and Wilson fermion action are adopted. A coupling constant $\beta$ is set to 4.8 and three kinds of hopping parameter, $\kappa$=0.1846, 0.1874 and 0.1891 are assayed. The disconnected diagram in the propagator is evaluated through taking average over 500 or 1000 Z2 noise. Simulations with the larger hopping parameter provide us with less noisy results. Though the statistics is not yet enough, our results indicate the existence of a pole with a mass in almost the same order as that of the $\rho$.

We compute the mass of the singlet 0++ state using both (psi_bar psi) and Wilson loop operators from a N_f=2 lattice QCD calculation.

We apply spectral methods to compute the OZI-rule suppressed loop-loop correlators in the pseudoscalar meson flavour singlet channel. Using SESAM configurations (obtained with two degenerate sea quark flavours on 16x16x16x32 lattices at beta = 5.6 with standard Wilson action), we find for the first time clear evidence for mass plateau formation in the eta' channel of this theory. As a consequence, we observe a clear signal of a mass gap persistent under chiral extrapolation. This sets the stage for a more realistic two-channel approach, where partially quenched strange quarks would be included, in addition to u, d sea quarks.

We study the flavour singlet mesons from first principles using lattice QCD. We explore the splitting between flavour singlet and non-singlet for vector and axial mesons as well as the more commonly studied cases of the scalar and pseudoscalar mesons.

The scalar, isovector meson propagator is analyzed in quenched QCD, using the MQA pole-shifting ansatz to study the chiral limit. In addition to the expected short-range exponential falloff characteristic of a heavy scalar meson, the propagator also exhibits a longer-range, negative metric contribution which becomes pronounced for smaller quark masses. We show that this is a quenched chiral loop effect associated with the anomalous structure of the $\eta '$ propagator in quenched QCD. Both the time dependence and the quark mass dependence of this effect are well-described by a chiral loop diagram corresponding to an $\eta '- \pi$ intermediate state, which is light and effectively of negative norm in the quenched approximation. The relevant parameters of the effective Lagrangian describing the scalar sector of the quenched theory are determined.

A brief review is given of attempts to understand the energies of four-quark systems calculated on a lattice in terms of nuclear-physics-inspired many-body techniques involving interquark potentials. Results are given for the next stage of this study where the wavefunctions of heavy-light mesons are also calculated on a lattice.

We study the possibility that the light scalar mesons are (qbar qbar q q) states rather than (qbar q). We perform a lattice QCD calculation of pseudoscalar meson scattering amplitudes, ignoring quark loops and quark annihilation, and find indications that for sufficiently heavy quarks there is a stable four-quark bound state with J^{PC}=0^{++} and non-exotic flavor quantum numbers.

We measure correlations appropriate for favour-singlet mesons using dynamical quark configurations from UKQCD. Improved methods of evaluating the disconnected quark diagrams are presented. The scalar and pseudoscalar meson channels are explored, with special reference to the mixing of scalar mesons with scalar glueballs.

I review recent Lattice results. In particular, the confinement mechanism and string breaking, glueballs and hybrid mesons as well as light hadron spectroscopy are discussed.