QCD Phase Transition with Chiral Quarks and Physical Quark Masses

Feb 20, 2014
4 pages
Published in:
  • Phys.Rev.Lett. 113 (2014) 8, 082001
  • Published: Aug 18, 2014
e-Print:
Report number:
  • BNL-103837-2014-JA,
  • CU-TP-1205,
  • INT-PUB-14-003,
  • LLNL-JRNL-650194

Citations per year

2014201720202023202501020304050
Abstract: (APS)

We report on the first lattice calculation of the QCD phase transition using chiral fermions with physical quark masses. This calculation uses 2+1 quark flavors, spatial volumes between (4fm)3 and (11  fm)3 and temperatures between 139 and 196 MeV. Each temperature is calculated at a single lattice spacing corresponding to a temporal Euclidean extent of Nt=8. The disconnected chiral susceptibility, χdisc shows a pronounced peak whose position and height depend sensitively on the quark mass. We find no metastability near the peak and a peak height which does not change when a 5 fm spatial extent is increased to 10 fm. Each result is strong evidence that the QCD “phase transition” is not first order but a continuous crossover for mπ=135  MeV. The peak location determines a pseudocritical temperature Tc=155(1)(8)  MeV, in agreement with earlier staggered fermion results. However, the peak height is 50% greater than that suggested by previous staggered results. Chiral SU(2)L×SU(2)R symmetry is fully restored above 164 MeV, but anomalous U(1)A symmetry breaking is nonzero above Tc and vanishes as T is increased to 196 MeV.

Note:
  • 6 pages and 4 figures
  • 12.38.Gc
  • 11.15.Ha
  • numerical calculations
  • quantum chromodynamics: critical phenomena
  • quark: mass
  • quark: chiral
  • quark: domain wall
  • susceptibility: chiral
  • fermion: chiral
  • quark: flavor: 3