Baryons and the phase diagram for a large number of colors and flavors

TL;DR

This paper explores the phase structure of non-Abelian gauge theories with large numbers of colors and flavors, revealing that baryon degeneracy influences phase transitions and baryon number as an order parameter.

Contribution

It demonstrates that baryon degeneracy remains exponentially large in theories with many flavors and colors, affecting phase transition behavior and baryon number as an order parameter.

Findings

Large flavor number suppresses deconfining transitions.

Baryon degeneracy is exponentially large with many flavors.

Baryon number acts as an order parameter in the large N and flavor limit.

Abstract

We consider the possible phases of a non-Abelian gauge theory, as a function of temperature and quark chemical potential, when both the number of colors and flavors is very large. Generally, a large number of flavors washes out deconfining phase transitions. We show, however, that the degeneracy of even the lightest baryons is exponentially large. This implies that the baryon number (or fluctuations thereof, at zero chemical potential) is an order parameter in the limit of an infinite number of colors and flavors.