A picture of the Yang-Mills deconfinement transition and its lattice verification

TL;DR

This paper investigates the deconfinement transition in Yang-Mills theory through the center vortex model, showing that vortex percolation correlates with confinement and deconfinement phases, supported by lattice gauge configuration analysis.

Contribution

It introduces a novel technique linking vortex configurations to lattice gauge configurations, providing a new perspective on the confinement-deconfinement transition.

Findings

Vortices percolate in the confining phase.

Vortices cease to percolate in the deconfined phase.

Lattice verification supports the vortex picture of the transition.

Abstract

In the framework of the center vortex picture of confinement, the nature of the deconfining phase transition is studied. Using recently developed techniques which allow to associate a center vortex configuration with any given lattice gauge configuration, it is demonstrated that the confining phase is a phase in which vortices percolate, whereas the deconfined phase is a phase in which vortices cease to percolate if one considers an appropriate slice of space-time.