Exploring QCD phase diagram at vanishing baryon density on the lattice

TL;DR

This paper investigates the QCD phase diagram at zero baryon density using lattice simulations with three degenerate quark flavors, finding no first order transition within a specific pion mass range and estimating the critical pion mass.

Contribution

It provides new lattice QCD results on the phase transition nature and critical pion mass at vanishing baryon density with improved staggered quarks.

Findings

No evidence of first order phase transition in the studied pion mass window.

Critical pion mass at the end of the first order transition is estimated to be below 45 MeV.

Results help constrain the QCD phase diagram at zero baryon density.

Abstract

I report on the current status of QCD phase diagram at vanishing baryon density. I focus on the QCD phase diagram with three degenerate quark flavor using Highly Improved Staggered Quarks on $N_{\tau}=6$ lattices. No evidence of a first order phase transition in the pion mass window of $80\lesssim m_{\pi} \lesssim 230 $MeV is found. The pion mass at the critical point where the chiral first order phase transition ends is estimated to be $m^c_{\pi} \lesssim 45$ MeV.