# Continuum extrapolation of the critical endpoint in 4-flavor QCD with Wilson-Clover fermions

## TL;DR

This study investigates the critical endpoint of the finite temperature phase transition in 4-flavor QCD using Wilson-Clover fermions, revealing differences from staggered fermion results and providing continuum extrapolated insights.

## Contribution

First continuum extrapolation of the critical endpoint in 4-flavor QCD with Wilson-Clover fermions using kurtosis intersection method.

## Key findings

- The critical endpoint's pseudo-scalar meson mass is larger for 4-flavor than 3-flavor QCD.
- $m_{PS,E}/T_E$ remains finite in the continuum limit for Wilson fermions.
- Contrasts with staggered fermions suggest differences are not due to rooting issues.

## Abstract

We report our study on the critical endpoint of the finite temperature phase transition in 4-flavor QCD with Wilson-Clover fermions. Using the kurtosis intersection method, we determined the critical endpoint on lattices with $N_t$ = 4, 6 and 8. Our continuum extrapolated results show that the pseudo-scalar meson mass at the critical endpoint, $m_\mathrm{PS,E}$, for 4-flavor is clearly larger than that for 3-flavor. We also compared our results to those with staggered fermions and found that $m_\mathrm{PS,E}/T_E$ for 4-flavor with Wilson fermions might remain finite even in the continuum limit in contrast to that with staggered fermions, where $m_\mathrm{PS,E}/T_E$ is very close to zero, which suggests that the difference between Wilson and staggered fermions is at least not due to the rooting.