Discussion of thermodynamic features within the PNJL model

We discuss some thermodynamical features of a QCD system within the two-flavor Polyakov loop extended Nambu–Jona-Lasinio(PNJL) model. Several thermodynamical quantities of interest(pressure, energy density,specific heat, speed of sound, etc.) are investigated and discussed in detail with two different forms of Polyakov loop potential. The effective coupling strength G incorporating a quark feedback(quark condensate) through operator product expansion is also discussed, as well as the relationship between color deconfinement and chiral phase crossover.We find that some thermodynamical quantities have quite different behavior for different Polyakov loop potentials.By changing the characteristic temperature T_0 of the pure Yang-Mills field, we find that when T_0 becomes small,color deconfinement might happen earlier than chiral phase crossover, while their relationship can be determined via some thermodynamical quantities. Furthermore, the behavior of the thermodynamical quantities is quite different in the two different forms of Polyakov loop potential studied. Especially, one of the potentials, specific heat, has two peaks, which correspond to color deconfinement and chiral phase crossover respectively. This interesting phenomenon may shed some light on whether the inflection points of the chiral condensate and deconfinement transitions happen at the same temperature or not for lattice QCD and experimental studies.     

Photoproduction of the $\Theta^+$ and its vector and axial-vector structure

We present recent investigations on the vector and axial-vector transitions of the baryon antidecuplet within the framework of the self-consistent SU（3） chiral quark-soliton model, taking into account the 1/No rotational and linear mscorrections. The main contribution to the electric-like transition form factor comes from the wave-function corrections. This is a consequence of the generalized Ademollo-Gatto theorem. It is also found that in general the leading-order contributions are almost canceled by the rotational 1/No corrections. The results are summarized as follows： the vector and tensor K＇NO coupling constants, gK＊N= 0.74--0.87 and fk＊N =0.53--1.16, respectively, and F→KN = 0.71 MeV, based on the result of the KN coupling constant gKne =0.83. We also show the differential cross sections and beam asymmetries, based on the present results. We also discuss the connection of present results with the original work by Diakonov, Petrov, and Polyakov.     

Chiral phase structure of the sixteen meson states in the SU(3) Polyakov linear-sigma model for finite temperature and chemical potential in a strong magnetic field

In characterizing the chiral phase-structure of pseudoscalar(J~(pc) = 0~(-+)), scalar(J~(pc) = 0~(++)), vector(J~(pc) =1~(--)) and axial-vector(J~(pc) = 1~(++)t) meson states and their dependence on temperature, chemical potential, and magnetic field,we utilize the SU(3) Polyakov linear-sigma model(PLSM) in the mean-field approximation. We first determine the chiral(non)strange quark condensates,σ_l and σ_s, and the corresponding deconfinement order parameters, φ and φ~*, in thermal and dense(finite chemical potential) medium and finite magnetic field. The temperature and the chemical potential characteristics of nonet meson states normalized to the lowest bosonic Matsubara frequency are analyzed. We note that all normalized meson masses become temperature independent at different critical temperatures. We observe that the chiral and deconfinement phase transitions are shifted to lower quasicritical temperatures with increasing chemical potential and magnetic field. Thus, we conclude that the magnetic field seems to have almost the same effect as the chemical potential, especially on accelerating the phase transition, i.e. inverse magnetic catalysis. We also find that increasing the chemical potential enhances the mass degeneracy of the various meson masses, while increasing the magnetic field seems to reduce the critical chemical potential, at which the chiral phase transition takes place. Our mass spectrum calculations agree well with the recent PDG compilations and PNJL, lattice QCD calculations, and QMD/UrQMD simulations.     

In-Medium Nucleon Electromagnetic Form Factors in Vector Meson Dominance Model

We study medium modifications of the nucleon electromagnetic form factors in the vector meson dominance model. The in-medium vector meson masses are taken from a chiral SU(3) model. We find that the electric and magnetic form factors of the bound nucleon deviate considerably from those of the free nucleon. Our results are comparable to the results from the quark meson coupling model approach and are consistent with present experimental limits.     

Quark and Gluon Condensates at Finite Temperatures by the Linear Sigma Model Approach

Based on a linear sigma model, we discuss the mixing between a quark condensate and a gluon condensate. It is shown that the linear sigma model will not be self-consistent if we switch off the mixing coupling between glueball and chiral fields. By introducing a proper mixing coupling, we realize the second-order phase transitions of chiral symmetry restoration and deconfinement. We further show that the critical temperature of chirM symmetry restoration could not be larger than the temperature of deconfinement phase transition in all possible parameter spaces of our model.     

(Pseudo) Scalar mesons in a self-consistent NJL model

In this study, we investigate the mass spectra of π and σ mesons at finite chemical potential using the self-consistent NJL model and the Fierz-transformed interaction Lagrangian. The model introduces an arbitrary parameter α to reflect the weights of the Fierz-transformed interaction channels. We show that, when α exceeds a certain threshold value, the chiral phase transition transforms from a first-order one to a smooth crossover, which is evident from the behaviors of the chiral condensates a...     

Study of hadrons using the Gaussian functional method in the O(4) linear σ model

We study properties of hadrons in the O(4) linear σ model, where we take into account fluctuations of mesons around their mean field values using the Gaussian functional(GF) method. In the GF method we calculate dressed σ and π masses, where we include the effect of fluctuations of mesons to find a better ground state wave function than the mean field approximation. Then we solve the Bethe-Salpeter equations and calculate physical σand π masses. We recover the Nambu-Goldstone theorem for the physical pion mass to be zero in the chiral limit.The σ meson is a strongly correlated meson-meson state, and seems to have a two meson composite structure. We calculate σ and π masses as functions of temperature for both the chiral limit and explicit chiral symmetry breaking case. We get similar behaviors for the physical σ and π masses as the case of the mean field approximation, but the coupling constants are much larger than the values of the case of the mean field approximation.     

Critical properties of XY model on two-layer Villain－ferromagnetic lattice

We investigate phase transitions of the XY model on a two-layer square lattice which consists of a Villain plane (J) and a ferromagnetic plane (I), using Monte Carlo simulations and a histogram method. Depending on the values of interaction parameters (I,J), the system presents three phases: namely, a Kosterlitz－Thouless (KT) phase in which the two planes are critical for I predominant over J, a chiral phase in which the two planes have a chiral order for J predominant over I and a new phase in which only the Villain plane has a chiral order and the ferromagnetic plane is paramagnetic with a small value of chirality. We clarify the nature of phase transitions by using a finite size scaling method. We find three different kinds of transitions according to the values of (I,J): the KT transition, the Ising transition and an XY-Ising transition with ν=0.849(3). It turns out that the Ising or XY-Ising transition is associated with the disappearance of the chiral order in the Villain plane.     

Phase diagram of two-color QCD matter at finite baryon and axial isospin densities

We study the two-color QCD matter with two fundamental quark flavors using the chiral perturbation theory and the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio(NJL)model.The effective Lagrangian is derived in terms of mesons and baryons,i.e.diquarks.The low lying excitations lie in the extended SU(4)flavor symmetry space.We compute the leading order terms of the Lagrangian as a function of the baryon and axial isospin densities.After numerically solving the gap equations in the two-color NJL model,the phase diagram is obtained in the μ−ν5 plane.     

Multi-skyrmion states in the Skyrme model with a false vacuum potential

We study multi-skyrmion states using the Skyrme model with a false vacuum potential up to baryon number B=8 using the product ansatz.It is found that both the false and true vacuum potentials can result in a cluster structure for the multi-skyrmion states.We also analyze the effect of explicit chiral breaking on the masses and contour surfaces of the baryon number density of the multi-skyrmion states.     

q-deformed supersymmetric Newton oscillators

We propose that in QCD with dynamical quarks, colour deconfinement occurs when an external field induced by the chiral condensate strongly aligns the Polyakov loop. This effect sets in at the chiral symmetry restoration temperature and thus makes deconfinement and chiral symmetry restoration coincide. The predicted singular behaviour of Polyakov loop susceptibilities at is shown to be supported by finite temperature lattice calculations. Received: 27 September 2000 / Published online: 8 December 2000     

Non-orientable strings

We describe the halfcomplex structure on non-orientable two-dimensional surfaces and calculate chiral determinants and Laplacians necessary for construction of the Polyakov measure.     

Probing the QCD chiral cross-over transition in heavy ion collisions

We argue that by measuring higher moments of the net proton number fluctuations in heavy ion collisions (HIC) one can probe the QCD chiral cross-over transition experimentally. We discuss the properties of fluctuations of the net baryon number in the vicinity of the chiral cross-over transition within the Polyakov loop extended quark-meson model at finite temperature and baryon density. The calculation includes non-perturbative dynamics implemented within the functional renormalization group approach. We find a clear signal for the chiral cross-over transition in the fluctuations of the net baryon number. We address our theoretical findings to experimental data of the STAR Collaboration on energy and centrality dependence of the net proton number fluctuations and their probability distributions in HIC.     

Phase structure of two-flavor QCD at finite chemical potential

We study the phase diagram of two-flavor QCD at imaginary chemical potentials in the chiral limit. To this end we compute order parameters for chiral symmetry breaking and quark confinement. The interrelation of quark confinement and chiral symmetry breaking is analyzed with a new order parameter for the confinement phase transition. We show that it is directly related to both the quark density as well as the Polyakov loop expectation value. Our analytical and numerical results suggest a close relation between the chiral and the confinement phase transition.     

Spectral density analysis of the chiral transition in nf=4 finite temperature QCD

We apply the spectral density reweighting technique to the analysis of the chiral phase transition in finite-temperature lattice quantum chromodynamics (QCD) with four flavors of dynamical staggered fermions and m_qa=0.025. Our simulations were performed using the hybrid Monte Carlo method for L_tL³ lattices with L_t=4 and L=6, 8 and 10. We calculate partition function zeros, as well as the maxima of the specific heat and of the susceptibilities for the Polyakov loop and for the chiral condensate. A finite size scaling analysis of these data leads to preliminary results for the critical coupling β_c, for the critical exponent ν, for the latent heat, and for the jumps in the Polyakov loop and in the chiral condensate.     

Chiral transition and deconfinement transition in QCD with the highly improved staggered quark (HISQ) action

We report preliminary results on the chiral and deconfinement aspects of the QCD transition at finite temperature using the Highly Improved Staggered Quark (HISQ) action on lattices with temporal extent of N _τ = 6 and 8. The chiral aspects of the transition are studied in terms of quark condensates and the disconnected chiral susceptibility. We study the deconfinement transition in terms of the strange quark number susceptibility and the renormalized Polyakov loop. We find reasonably good agreement between our results and the recent continuum extrapolated results obtained with the stout staggered quark action.     

Thermodynamics of the PNJL model

QCD thermodynamics is investigated by means of the Polyakov-loop-extended Nambu–Jona–Lasinio (PNJL) model, in which quarks couple simultaneously to the chiral condensate and to a background temporal gauge field representing Polyakov loop dynamics. The behaviour of the Polyakov loop as a function of temperature is obtained by minimising the thermodynamic potential of the system. A Taylor series expansion of the pressure is performed. Pressure difference and quark number density are then evaluated up to sixth order in the quark chemical potential and compared to the corresponding lattice data. The validity of the Taylor expansion is discussed within our model through a comparison between the full results and the truncated ones. PACS 12.38.Aw; 12.38.Mh     

Dimension-2 condensates and Polyakov Chiral Quark Models

We address a possible relation between the expectation value of the Polyakov loop in pure gluodynamics and full QCD based on Polyakov Chiral Quark Models where constituent quarks and the Polyakov loop are coupled in a minimal way. To this end, we use a center symmetry-breaking Gaussian model for the Polyakov loop distribution which accurately reproduces gluodynamics data above the phase transition in terms of dimension-2 gluon condensate. The role played by the quantum and local nature of the Polyakov loop is emphasized.     

On the QCD phase structure from effective models

Some recent theoretical developments of the QCD phase diagram are summarized. Chiral symmetry restoration and the confinement/deconfinement transition at nonzero temperature and quark densities are analyzed in the framework of an effective linear sigma model with three light quark flavors. The sensitivity of the chiral transition as well as the existence of a critical end point in the phase diagram on the value of the sigma mass is explored. The influence of the axial anomaly on the chiral critical surface is addressed. Finally, the modifications by the inclusion of the Polyakov loop on the phase structure are investigated.