Z(N) dependence of the pure Yang-Mills gluon propagator in the Landau gauge near Tc

TL;DR

This paper investigates how the gluon propagator in pure Yang-Mills theory depends on the Z(N) symmetry at finite temperature, especially near the critical temperature, revealing complex patterns and an order parameter related to symmetry breaking.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed analysis of Z(N) dependence of the gluon propagator near the phase transition in SU(3) Yang-Mills theory.

Findings

Complex Z(N) dependence observed near T_c

Identification of an order parameter for center symmetry breaking

Evidence of first order phase transition behavior

Abstract

The Z(N) dependence of the pure Yang-Mills gluon propagator, in the Landau gauge, is investigated at finite temperature for N=3. Special attention will be given to the behaviour near the critical temperature $T_c$. Our simulations show a complex pattern as expected in a first order phase transition. Furthermore, we identify an order parameter directly associated with the breaking of the SU(3) center symmetry.