On the thermal phase structure of QCD at vanishing chemical potentials

TL;DR

This paper explores the phase structure of QCD at zero chemical potential, proposing that long-range coherence and gauge boson pair condensates determine the transition, which is second order with no latent heat.

Contribution

It introduces the gauge boson pair condensate as a fundamental order parameter for the thermal phase transition in QCD at zero chemical potential.

Findings

The phase transition is second order with no latent heat.

Long-range coherence induces a gauge boson pair condensate.

Color field localization changes at a unique critical temperature.

Abstract

The hypothesis is investigated, that the thermal structure of QCD phases at and near zero chemical potentials is determined by long range coherence, inducing the gauge boson pair condensate, and its thermal extension, representing a fundamental order parameter.The condensate does not produce any latent heat as it vanishes at the critical temperature inducing a second order phase transition with respect to energy density neglecting eventual numerically small critical exponents. Localization and delocalization of color fields are thus separated by a unique critical temperature.