Topology conserving gauge action and the overlap-Dirac operator

We apply the topology conserving gauge action proposed by Luescher to the four-dimensional lattice QCD simulation in the quenched approximation. With this gauge action the topological charge is stabilized along the hybrid Monte Carlo updates compared to the standard Wilson gauge action. The quark potential and renormalized coupling constant are in good agreement with the results obtained with the Wilson gauge action. We also investigate the low-lying eigenvalue distribution of the Hermitian Wilson-Dirac operator, which is relevant for the construction of the overlap-Dirac operator.