Spatial string tension in $N_f=2$ lattice QCD at finite temperature

Abstract

The spatial string tension across a crossover from the low temperature phase to the high temperature phase is computed in QCD with two flavors of non-perturbatively improved Wilson fermions at small lattice spacing a \sim 0.12fm. We find that in the low temperature phase spatial string tension agrees well with zero temperature string tension. Furthermore, it does not show increasing for temperatures up to T = 1.36 T_{pc}, the highest temperature considered. Our results agree with some theoretical predictions.

Comments: 8 pages, 2 figures, numerical results and both figures slightly changed, comparison with theoretical predictions added, values of the ratio T/T_{pc} slightly changed