QCD phase diagram from the gluon propagator at finite temperature and density

TL;DR

This paper investigates the QCD phase diagram at finite temperature and density by analyzing the gluon propagator using the screened massive expansion and a model for infrared quark masses, providing insights into deconfinement transitions.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach combining the screened massive expansion with a model for infrared quark masses to study the gluon propagator at finite T and density, linking it to the QCD phase diagram.

Findings

Analytic expressions for the gluon propagator are derived.

The deconfinement temperature is identified via the maximum of the longitudinal gluon propagator.

The phase diagram is mapped based on the propagator's behavior at zero Matsubara frequency.

Abstract

The screened massive expansion of full QCD is used in conjunction with a model for infrared quark masses to compute the Landau-gauge gluon propagator at finite temperature and baryonic density. Analytic expressions up to a one-dimensional momentum integral are provided for the propagator, and its behavior is studied at zero Matsubara frequency with respect to temperature, chemical potential, and the parameters of the expansion. The phase diagram of QCD is explored under the assumption that the deconfinement temperature can be identified as the position of the maximum of the longitudinal gluon propagator at zero Matsubara frequency and fixed spatial momentum.