# On the critical end point in a two-flavor linear sigma model coupled to quarks

## TL;DR

This paper uses a linear sigma model with quarks to analytically study the QCD phase diagram, identifying the critical end point where the nature of the phase transition changes, based on effective potential calculations.

## Contribution

It provides a novel analytical approach to locate the critical end point in the QCD phase diagram using the linear sigma model with quarks, including plasma screening effects.

## Key findings

- Critical end point lies at 5.02<μ_B^CEP/T_c<5.18 and 0.14<T^CEP/T_c<0.23.
- Second order transition line converges with first order line at the critical end point.
- Effective potential calculations incorporate ring diagrams for plasma screening.

## Abstract

We use the linear sigma model coupled to quarks to explore the location of the phase transition lines in the QCD phase diagram from the point of view of chiral symmetry restoration at high temperature and baryon chemical potential. We compute analytically the effective potential in the high- and low-temperature approximations up to sixth order, including the contribution of the ring diagrams to account for the plasma screening properties. We determine the model parameters, namely, the couplings and mass-parameter, from conditions valid at the first order phase transition at vanishing temperature and, using the Hagedorn limiting temperature concept applied to finite baryon density, for a critical baryochemical potential of order of the nucleon mass. We show that when using the set of parameters thus determined, the second order phase transition line (our proxy for the crossover transition) that starts at finite temperature and zero baryon chemical potential converges to the line of first order phase transitions that starts at zero temperature and finite baryon chemical potential to determine the critical end point to lie in the region $5.02<\mu_B^{\mbox{CEP}}/T_c<5.18$, $0.14<T^{\mbox{CEP}}/T_c<0.23$, where $T_c$ is the critical transition temperature at zero baryon chemical potential.