Screening masses in the SU(3) pure gauge theory and universality

TL;DR

This paper measures screening masses in the deconfined phase of SU(3) gauge theory using Polyakov loop correlators, compares ratios with the 3d Potts model, and examines inverse decay lengths against theoretical predictions.

Contribution

It provides new quantitative analysis of screening masses and their ratios in SU(3) gauge theory near the transition, and compares these with models and universality expectations.

Findings

Screening mass ratios match those in the 3d 3-state Potts model.

Inverse decay lengths align with perturbation theory and Polyakov loop models.

Results support universality and model predictions near the phase transition.

Abstract

We determine from Polyakov loop correlators the screening masses in th e deconfined phase of the (3+1)d SU(3) pure gauge theory at finite temperature near transition, for two different channels of angular momentum and parity. Their ratio is compared with that of the massive excitations with the same quantum numbers in the 3d 3-state Potts model in the broken phase near the transition point at zero magnetic field. Moreover we study the inverse decay length of the correlation between the real parts and between the imaginary parts of the Polyakov loop and compare the results with expectations from perturbation theory and mean-field Polyakov loop models.