# Partial Deconfinement

## TL;DR

The paper introduces the concept of partial deconfinement in gauge theories, linking it to phase transitions and dual string theory phenomena, and illustrates its universality through an analogy with ant collective behavior.

## Contribution

It proposes the partial deconfinement phase as a bridge between confined and deconfined phases, connecting gauge theory, string theory, and a mathematical ant model.

## Key findings

- Partial deconfinement relates to the Gross-Witten-Wadia transition.
- Unstable partial deconfinement corresponds to small black holes in string theory.
- Analogies with ant behavior reveal universal phase structures.

## Abstract

We argue that the confined and deconfined phases in gauge theories are connected by a partially deconfined phase (i.e. SU(M) in SU(N), where M<N, is deconfined), which can be stable or unstable depending on the details of the theory. When this phase is unstable, it is the gauge theory counterpart of the small black hole phase in the dual string theory. Partial deconfinement is closely related to the Gross-Witten-Wadia transition, and is likely to be relevant to the QCD phase transition. The mechanism of partial deconfinement is related to a generic property of a class of systems. As an instructive example, we demonstrate the similarity between the Yang-Mills theory/string theory and a mathematical model of the collective behavior of ants [Beekman et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2001]. By identifying the D-brane, open string and black hole with the ant, pheromone and ant trail, the dynamics of two systems closely resemble with each other, and qualitatively the same phase structures are obtained.