QCD Thermodynamics

TL;DR

This paper investigates QCD thermodynamics at finite temperature, establishing the nature of the transition, calculating the transition scale, and providing temperature-dependent potentials using improved lattice techniques.

Contribution

It introduces a new method to determine the QCD equation of state at very high temperatures and uses multiple lattice spacings to approach the continuum limit.

Findings

The QCD transition is an analytic cross-over.

The absolute scale of the transition temperature is calculated.

A temperature-dependent static potential is provided.

Abstract

Recent results on QCD thermodynamics are presented. The nature of the T>0 transition is determined, which turns out to be an analytic cross-over. The absolute scale for this transition is calculated. The temperature dependent static potential is given. The results were obtained by using a Symanzik improved gauge and stout-link improved fermionic action. In order to approach the continuum limit four different sets of lattice spacings were used with temporal extensions N_t=4, 6, 8 and 10 (they correspond to lattice spacings a \sim 0.3, 0.2, 0.15 and 0.12 fm). A new technique is presented, which --in contrast to earlier methods-- enables one to determine the equation of state at very large temperatures.