Towards the QCD phase diagram

TL;DR

This study investigates the QCD phase diagram with 2+1 flavors using lattice simulations, revealing that the first-order transition region shrinks with chemical potential, challenging the expectation of a critical point at small chemical potential.

Contribution

The paper provides new lattice QCD results showing the behavior of the phase transition line with chemical potential, including the unexpected shrinking of the first-order region.

Findings

First-order transition region shrinks with increasing chemical potential.

Physical point lies on the crossover side of the critical line.

Contradicts earlier studies suggesting a critical point at small chemical potential.

Abstract

We summarize our recent results on the phase diagram of QCD with N_f=2+1 quark flavors, as a function of temperature T and quark chemical potential \mu. Using staggered fermions, lattices with temporal extent N_t=4, and the exact RHMC algorithm, we first determine the critical line in the quark mass plane (m_{u,d},m_s) where the finite temperature transition at \mu=0 is second order. We confirm that the physical point lies on the crossover side of this line. Our data are consistent with a tricritical point at (m_{u,d},m_s) = (0,\sim 500) MeV. Then, using an imaginary chemical potential, we determine in which direction this second-order line moves as the chemical potential is turned on. Contrary to standard expectations, we find that the region of first-order transitions shrinks in the presence of a chemical potential, which is inconsistent with the presence of a QCD critical point at small chemical potential. The emphasis is put on clarifying the translation of our results from lattice to physical units, and on discussing the apparent contradiction of our findings with earlier lattice studies.