Exactly Solvable Model for the QCD Tricritcal Endpoint

TL;DR

This paper introduces an exactly solvable model incorporating temperature and chemical potential dependent surface tension to unify descriptions of phase transitions in QCD, predicting a tricritical endpoint at the critical point.

Contribution

It presents a novel analytical model that unifies first and second order phase transitions in QCD, predicting the tricritical endpoint as the critical point.

Findings

Exact analytical solution of the model.

Identification of a surface-induced phase transition.

Prediction of the CEP as a tricritical point.

Abstract

An inclusion of temperature and chemical potential dependent surface tension into the gas of quark-gluon bags model resolves a long standing problem of a unified description of the first and second order phase transition with the cross-over. The suggested model has an exact analytical solution and allows one to rigorously study the vicinity of the critical endpoint of the deconfinement phase transition. It is found that at the curve of a zero surface tension coefficient there must exist the surface induced phase tranition of the 2-nd or higher order. The present model predicts that the critical endpoint (CEP) of quantum chromodynamics is the tricritical endpoint.