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Phys. Rev. D 58, 096007 (1998) [11 pages]

Phase diagram of QCD

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M. A. Halasz1, A. D. Jackson2, R. E. Shrock3, M. A. Stephanov3, and J. J. M. Verbaarschot1
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, SUNY, Stony Brook, New York 11794
2The Niels Bohr Institute, Blegdamsvej 17, Copenhagen, DK-2100, Denmark
3Institute for Theoretical Physics, SUNY, Stony Brook, New York 11794-3840

Received 22 April 1998; published 30 September 1998

We analyze the phase diagram of QCD with two massless quark flavors in the space of temperature T and chemical potential of the baryon charge μ using available experimental knowledge of QCD, insights gained from various models, as well as general and model independent arguments including continuity, universality, and thermodynamic relations. A random matrix model is used to describe the chiral symmetry restoration phase transition at finite T and μ. In agreement with general arguments, this model predicts a tricritical point in the Tμ plane. Certain critical properties at such a point are universal and can be relevant to heavy ion collision experiments.

© 1998 The American Physical Society

URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevD.58.096007
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevD.58.096007
PACS:
11.10.Wx, 11.15.Tk, 12.38.Gc, 21.65.+f