The deconfinement transition in SU(N) gauge theories

TL;DR

This paper studies the deconfinement transition in SU(N) gauge theories for N=4 and 6, showing it is first order and weakly dependent on N, with implications for the N->infinity limit.

Contribution

It provides new evidence that the deconfinement transition remains first order for higher N and compares continuum transition temperatures across different N values.

Findings

Deconfinement transition is first order for SU(4) and SU(6).

Transition temperature shows weak N dependence.

Supports the N->infinity limit being a first order transition.

Abstract

We investigate the properties of the deconfinement transition in SU(4) and SU(6) gauge theories. We find that it is a `normal' first order transition in both cases, from which we conclude that the transition is first order in the N->infinity limit. Comparing our preliminary estimates of the continuum values of Tc/sqrt(K) with existing values for SU(2) and SU(3) demonstrates a weak dependence on N for all values of N.