Center Vortex Model for the Infrared Sector of SU(3) Yang-Mills Theory - Vortex Free Energy

TL;DR

This paper investigates the vortex free energy in the SU(3) Yang-Mills theory's infrared sector, demonstrating its role as an order parameter for the deconfinement transition and characterizing the transition's weak first order nature.

Contribution

It introduces and verifies the vortex free energy as an order parameter for the deconfinement phase transition in the SU(3) Yang-Mills theory within the vortex world-surface model.

Findings

Vortex free energy acts as an order parameter for deconfinement.

Weak discontinuity observed at the critical temperature.

Transition characterized as weak first order.

Abstract

The vortex free energy is studied in the random vortex world-surface model of the infrared sector of SU(3) Yang-Mills theory. The free energy of a center vortex extending into two spatial directions, which is introduced into Yang-Mills configurations when acting with the 't Hooft loop operator, is verified to furnish an order parameter for the deconfinement phase transition. It is shown to exhibit a weak discontinuity at the critical temperature, corresponding to the weak first order character of the transition.