Accurate scale determinations for the Wilson gauge action

Accurate determinations of the physical scale of a lattice action are required to check scaling and take the continuum limit. We present a high statistics study of the static potential for the SU(3) Wilson gauge action on coarse lattices (5.54≤β≤6.0). Using an improved analysis procedure we determine the string tension and the Sommer scale r0 (and related quantities) to 1% accuracy, including all systematic errors. Combining our results with earlier ones on finer lattices, we present parameterizations of these quantities that should be accurate to about 1% for 5.6≤β≤6.5. We estimate the Λ-parameter of quenched QCD to be ΛMS=247(16) MeV. (orig.)