Topological features of the deconfinement transition

Abstract

The first order transition between the confining and the center symmetry breaking phases of the SU(3) Yang-Mills theory is marked by discontinuities in various thermodynamics functions, such as the energy density or the value of the Polyakov loop. We investigate the non-analytical behaviour of the topological susceptibility and its higher cumulant around the transition temperature and make the connection to the curvature of the phase diagram in the $T-\theta$ plane and to the latent heat.

Comments: 13 pages, 10 figures