On The Deconfinement Transition in SU(4) Lattice Gauge Theory

Abstract

The deconfinement transition in SU(4) lattice gauge theory is investigated on N_s^3 X N_t lattices for N_s = 8-16 and N_t = 4-8 using a modified Wilson action which is expected to be free of any bulk transitions. The susceptibility chi_{|L|}^{max}, where L is the order parameter for deconfinement, is found to increase linearly with spatial volume for N_t = 4, 5, and 6, indicating a first order deconfinement phase transition. The latent heat of the transition is estimated to be approximately 2/3 of the corresponding ideal gas energy density at T_c.

Comments: 17 pages. LaTeX, 10 figures