Spatial string tension in $N_f=2$ lattice QCD at finite temperature

TL;DR

This study calculates the spatial string tension in two-flavor lattice QCD across a temperature crossover, finding it remains consistent with zero-temperature values up to 1.36 times the pseudocritical temperature, aligning with theoretical expectations.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed lattice QCD computation of spatial string tension across the crossover with improved Wilson fermions at small lattice spacing.

Findings

Spatial string tension matches zero-temperature values in the low temperature phase.

No increase in spatial string tension observed up to 1.36 T_{pc}.

Results agree with theoretical predictions.

Abstract

The spatial string tension across a crossover from the low temperature phase to the high temperature phase is computed in QCD with two flavors of non-perturbatively improved Wilson fermions at small lattice spacing a \sim 0.12fm. We find that in the low temperature phase spatial string tension agrees well with zero temperature string tension. Furthermore, it does not show increasing for temperatures up to T = 1.36 T_{pc}, the highest temperature considered. Our results agree with some theoretical predictions.