# Topological deconfinement transition in QCD at finite isospin density

## TL;DR

This paper explores a topological perspective of the deconfinement transition in QCD at finite isospin density, using an effective model and imaginary chemical potential to identify signals of phase change.

## Contribution

It introduces a topological framework for understanding the deconfinement transition in QCD at finite isospin density, linking it to free-energy degeneracy and using effective models to analyze phase diagrams.

## Key findings

- Topological deconfinement transition shows weak dependence on isospin chemical potential.
- The transition is weakly correlated with the chiral transition.
- The approach can be tested with lattice QCD data at finite isospin density.

## Abstract

The confinement-deconfinement transition is discussed from topological viewpoints. The topological change of the system is achieved by introducing the dimensionless imaginary chemical potential ($\theta$). Then, the non-trivial free-energy degeneracy becomes the signal of the deconfinement transition and it can be visualized by using the map of the thermodynamic quantities to the circle $S^1$ along $\theta$. To understand this "topological" deconfinement transition at finite real quark chemical potential ($\mu_\mathrm{R}$), we consider the isospin chemical potential ($\mu_\mathrm{iso}$) in the effective model of QCD. The phase diagram at finite $\mu_\mathrm{iso}$ is identical with that at finite $\mu_\mathrm{R}$ outside of the pion-condensed phase at least in the large-$N_\mathrm{c}$ limit via the well-known orbifold equivalence. In the present effective model, the topological deconfinement transition does not show a significant dependence on $\mu_\mathrm{iso}$ and then we can expect that this tendency also appears at small $\mu_\mathrm{R}$. Also, the chiral transition and the topological deconfinement transition seems to be weakly correlated. If we will access lattice QCD data for the temperature dependence of the quark number density at finite $\mu_\mathrm{iso}$ with $\theta=\pi/3$, our surmise can be judged.