The confined-deconfined interface tension, wetting, and the spectrum of the transfer matrix

TL;DR

This paper measures the interface tension between confined and deconfined phases in SU(3) gauge theory, showing universal wetting behavior and evidence of interface roughness through numerical simulations and theoretical models.

Contribution

It provides the first numerical determination of the reduced interface tension at the deconfinement transition in SU(3) gauge theory and links wetting phenomena to universal critical behavior.

Findings

Reduced interface tension at T_c is 0.139(4) T_c^2 for L_t=2.

Deconfined-deconfined interfaces are completely wet by the confined phase.

Numerical evidence suggests the confined-deconfined interface is rough.

Abstract

The reduced tension $\sigma_{cd}$ of the interface between the confined and the deconfined phase of $SU(3)$ pure gauge theory is determined from numerical simulations of the first transfer matrix eigenvalues. At $T_c = 1/L_t$ we find $\sigma_{cd} = 0.139(4) T_c^2$ for $L_t = 2$. The interfaces show universal behavior because the deconfined-deconfined interfaces are completely wet by the confined phase. The critical exponents of complete wetting follow from the analytic interface solutions of a $\Z(3)$-symmetric $\Phi^4$ model in three dimensions. We find numerical evidence that the confined-deconfined interface is rough.