Polyakov Loop and Gluon Quasiparticles in Yang-Mills Thermodynamics

TL;DR

This paper interprets lattice data on SU(3) Yang-Mills thermodynamics using gluon quasiparticles coupled to a Polyakov loop, showing that Polyakov loop dynamics dominate the phase transition without requiring diverging quasiparticle masses.

Contribution

It introduces a Polyakov loop potential inspired by strong coupling expansion and couples it to gluon quasiparticles, providing a new effective description of the deconfinement transition.

Findings

Polyakov loop dynamics dominate the phase transition.

Thermodynamics can be described without diverging quasiparticle masses.

Effective degrees of freedom are identified above the critical temperature.

Abstract

We study the interpretation of Lattice data about the thermodynamics of the deconfinement phase of SU(3) Yang-Mills theory, in terms of gluon quasiparticles propagating in a background of a Polyakov loop. A potential for the Polyakov loop, inspired by the strong coupling expansion of the QCD action, is introduced; the Polyakov loop is coupled to tranverse gluon quasiparticles by means of a gas-like effective potential. This study is useful to identify the effective degrees of freedom propagating in the gluon medium above the critical temperature. A main general finding is that a dominant part of the phase transition dynamics is accounted for by the Polyakov loop dynamics, hence the thermodynamics can be described without the need for diverging or exponentially increasing quasiparticle masses as $T \rightarrow T_c$, at variance respect to standard quasiparticle models.