# QCD Thermodynamics with Improved Actions

## TL;DR

This paper investigates SU(3) gauge theory thermodynamics using improved lattice actions, demonstrating significant reduction in finite cut-off effects and presenting results for pressure, critical temperature, surface tension, and latent heat.

## Contribution

It introduces the use of improved Symanzik actions to reduce lattice artifacts in QCD thermodynamics calculations, showing enhanced accuracy over standard Wilson actions.

## Key findings

- Improved actions drastically reduce finite cut-off effects.
- Results for pressure, T_c, surface tension, and latent heat are provided.
- First thermodynamics results for four-flavour QCD with improved staggered action.

## Abstract

The thermodynamics of the SU(3) gauge theory has been analyzed with tree level and tadpole improved Symanzik actions. A comparison with the continuum extrapolated results for the standard Wilson action shows that improved actions lead to a drastic reduction of finite cut-off effects already on lattices with temporal extent $N_\tau=4$. Results for the pressure, the critical temperature, surface tension and latent heat are presented. First results for the thermodynamics of four-flavour QCD with an improved staggered action are also presented. They indicate similarly large improvement factors for bulk thermodynamics.