0000000000000274
AUTHOR
Topi Kahara
Effective models of two-flavor QCD: from small towards large $m_q$
We study effective models of chiral fields and Polyakov loop expected to describe the dynamics responsible for the phase structure of two-flavor QCD. We consider the chiral sector described either using a linear sigma model or a Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model and study how these models, on the mean-field level when coupled with the Polyakov loop, behave as a function of increasing bare quark (or pion) mass. We find qualitatively similar behaviors for the cases of the linear sigma model and the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model and, by comparing with existing lattice data, show that one cannot conclusively decide which of the two approximate symmetries drives the phase transitions at the physical point.
Effective models of two-flavor QCD: finite $\mu$ and $m_q$-dependence
We study effective models of chiral fields and Polyakov loop expected to describe the dynamics responsible for the phase structure of two-flavor QCD at finite temperature and density. We consider chiral sector described either using linear sigma model or Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model and study the phase diagram and determine the location of the critical point as a function of the explicit chiral symmetry breaking (i.e. the bare quark mass $m_q$). We also discuss the possible emergence of the quarkyonic phase in this model.
Deconfinement vs. chiral symmetry and higher representation matter
The interplay of deconfinement and chiral symmetry restoration are considered in terms of effective theories. We generalize the earlier model studies by considering fermions in higher representations, and study the finite temperature phase diagrams of SU(2) and SU(3) gauge theories with two fermion flavors in fundamental, adjoint or two-index symmetric representations. We discuss our results in relation to recent lattice simulations on these theories and outline possible applications in the context of dynamical electroweak symmetry breaking.
Degrees of freedom and the phase transitions of two-flavor QCD
We study two effective models for QCD, the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio -model and the linear sigma model extended by including a Polyakov loop potential, which is fitted to reproduce the pure gauge theory thermodynamics, and a coupling between the chiral fields and the Polyakov loop. Thus the resulting models have as relevant degrees of freedom the Polyakov loop and chiral fields. By comparing the extended models with the bare chiral models we can conclude that the addition of the Polyakov loop is necessary in order to obtain both qualitative and quantitative agreement with known results at finite temperatures. These results are extended to finite net-quark densities, several thermodynamical quantit…