Complex Heavy-Quark Potential at Finite Temperature from Lattice QCD

TL;DR

This study computes the complex heavy-quark potential at finite temperature using lattice QCD, revealing an imaginary component above the deconfinement transition that influences quarkonium melting in the quark-gluon plasma.

Contribution

First calculation of the complex heavy-quark potential at finite temperature from lattice QCD, including both real and imaginary parts across the deconfinement transition.

Findings

Existence of an imaginary part of the potential above T_C

Imaginary part increases with quark-antiquark separation

Implications for quarkonium dissociation in quark-gluon plasma

Abstract

We calculate for the first time the complex potential between a heavy quark and antiquark at finite temperature across the deconfinement transition in lattice QCD. The real and imaginary part of the potential at each separation distance $r$ is obtained from the spectral function of the thermal Wilson loop. We confirm the existence of an imaginary part above the critical temperature $T_C$, which grows as a function of $r$ and underscores the importance of collisions with the gluonic environment for the melting of heavy quarkonia in the quark-gluon-plasma.