Universality, vortices and confinement: modified SO(3) lattice gauge theory at non-zero temperature

Abstract

We investigate the adjoint SU(2) lattice gauge theory in 3+1 dimensions with the Wilson plaquette action modified by a Z(2) monopole suppression term. For the zero-twist sector we report indications for the existence of a finite temperature effect decoupled from the unphysical bulk transitions.

Comments: 17 pages, 10 figures. Some figures and text added. To appear on Phys. Rev. D