We test the reliability of the the Polyakov-loop extended Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (PNJL) model, comparing the model result with the lattice data at nonzero imaginary chemical potential. The PNJL model with the vector-type four-quark and scalar-type eight-quark interactions reproduces the lattice data on the pseudocritical temperatures of the deconfinement and chiral phase transitions. The QCD phase diagram in the real chemical potential region is predicted by the PNJL model. The critical endpoint survives, even if the vector-type four-quark interaction is taken into account.
We explore the phase diagram of two-flavor QCD at imaginary values of baryon and isospin chemical potentials analyzing the thermodynamic potential of QCD analytically and that of the Polyakov-loop extended Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (PNJL) model numerically. QCD has no pion condensation at imaginary baryon and isospin chemical potentials, and therefore has discrete symmetries that are not present at real baryon and isospin chemical potentials. The PNJL model possesses all the discrete symmetries. The PNJL model can reproduce qualitatively lattice QCD data presented very lately.
The Polyakov loop extended Nambu--Jona-Lasinio (PNJL) model with imaginary chemical potential is studied. The model possesses the extended ${\mathbb Z}_{3}$ symmetry that QCD does. Quantities invariant under the extended ${\mathbb Z}_{3}$ symmetry, such as the partition function, the chiral condensate and the modified Polyakov loop, have the Roberge-Weiss (RW) periodicity. The phase diagram of confinement/deconfinement transition derived with the PNJL model is consistent with the RW prediction on it and the results of lattice QCD. The phase diagram of chiral transition is also presented by the…
We draw the three-flavor phase diagram as a function of light- and strange-quark masses for both zero and imaginary quark-number chemical potential, using the Polyakov-loop extended Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model with an effective four-quark vertex depending on the Polyakov loop. The model prediction is qualitatively consistent with 2+1 flavor lattice QCD prediction at zero chemical potential and with degenerate three-flavor lattice QCD prediction at imaginary chemical potential.
Using the exactly solvable Gross-Neveu model as theoretical laboratory, we analyse in detail the relationship between a relativistic quantum field theory at real and imaginary chemical potential. We find that one can retrieve the full information about the phase diagram of the theory from an imaginary chemical potential calculation. The prerequisite is to evaluate and analytically continue the effective potential for the chiral order parameter, rather than thermodynamic observables or phase boundaries. In the case of an inhomogeneous phase, one needs to compute the full effective action, a fun…
We explore the thermodynamics and phase structure of the Polyakov loop-extended two flavor chiral quark--meson (PQM) model beyond the mean-field approximation at imaginary chemical potential. Our approach is based on the functional renormalization group (FRG) method. At finite temperature and imaginary chemical potential, we solve the renormalization group flow equation for a scale-dependent thermodynamic potential in the presence of the gluonic background field. We determine behavior of order parameters of the PQM model in the FRG approach and compute the phase diagram. We compare our FRG res…
The chemical-potential dependence of pi and sigma meson masses is analyzed at both real and imaginary chemical potentials, $μ_\mathrm{R}$ and $μ_\mathrm{I}$, by using the Polyakov-loop extended Nambu--Jona-Lasinio (PNJL) model that possesses both the extended ${\mathbb Z}_3$ symmetry and the chiral symmetry. In the $μ_\mathrm{I}$ region, the meson masses have the Roberge-Weiss periodicity. Assuming that the meson masses will be measured at finite $μ_\mathrm{I}$ by lattice QCD in future, we simulate how meson masses at finite $μ_\mathrm{R}$ are extracted from those at finite $μ_\mathrm{I}$, and…
We present unambiguous evidence from lattice simulations of QCD with three degenerate quark species for two tricritical points in the (T,m) phase diagram at fixed imaginary μ/T=iπ/3 mod 2π/3, one in the light and one in the heavy mass regime. These represent the boundaries of the chiral and deconfinement critical lines continued to imaginary chemical potential, respectively. It is demonstrated that the shape of the deconfinement critical line for real chemical potentials is dictated by tricritical scaling and implies the weakening of the deconfinement transition with real chemical potential. T…
We determine the (pseudo)critical lines of QCD with two degenerate staggered fermions at nonzero temperature and quark or isospin density, in the region of imaginary chemical potentials; analytic continuation is then used to prolongate to the region of real chemical potentials. We obtain an accurate determination of the curvatures at zero chemical potential, quantifying the deviation between the case of finite quark and of finite isospin chemical potential. Deviations from a quadratic dependence of the pseudocritical lines on the chemical potential are clearly seen in both cases: we try differ…
Phase transitions in the imaginary chemical potential region are studied by the Polyakov loop extended Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (PNJL) model that possesses the extended Z3 symmetry. The extended Z3 invariant quantities such as the partition function, the chiral condensate and the modifed Polyakov loop have the Roberge-Weiss (RW) periodicity. There appear four types of phase transitions; deconfinement, chiral, Polykov-loop RW and chiral RW transitions. The orders of the chiral and deconfinement transitions depend on the presence or absence of current quark mass, but those of the Polykov-loop RW and c…
We first extend our formulation for the calculation of $π$- and $σ$-meson screening masses to the case of finite chemical potential $μ$. We then consider the imaginary-$μ$ approach, which is an extrapolation method from imaginary chemical potential ($μ=i μ_{\rm I}$) to real one ($μ=μ_{\rm R}$). The feasibility of the method is discussed based on the entanglement Polyakov-loop extended Nambu--Jona-Lasinio (EPNJL) model in 2-flavor system. As an example, we investigate how reliable the imaginary-$μ$ approach is for $π$- and $σ$-meson screening masses, comparing "screening masses at $μ_{\rm R}$ i…
We investigate chemical-potential ($μ$) and temperature ($T$) dependence of scalar and pseudo-scalar meson masses for both real and imaginary $μ$, using the Polyakov-loop extended Nambu--Jona-Lasinio (PNJL) model with three-flavor quarks. A three-flavor phase diagram is drawn in $μ^2$-$T$ plane where positive (negative) $μ^2$ corresponds to positive (imaginary) $μ$. A critical surface is plotted as a function of light- and strange-quark current mass and $μ^2$. We show that $μ$-dependence of the six-quark Kobayashi-Maskawa-'t Hooft (KMT) determinant interaction originated in $U_\mathrm{A}(1)$ a…
By employing QCD inequalities, we discuss appearance of the pion condensate for both real and imaginary isospin chemical potentials, taking also into account imaginary quark chemical potential. We show that the charged pion can condense for real isospin chemical potential, but not for imaginary one. Furthermore, we evaluate the expectation value of the neutral-pion field for imaginary isospin chemical potential by using framework of the twisted mass. As a result, it is found that the expectation value becomes zero for the finite current-quark mass, whereas the Banks-Casher relation is obtained…
After presenting a brief review of how simulations of QCD with imaginary chemical potential can be used to extract physical results, we analyse the phase structure of QCD with four flavours of dynamical fermions in the finite temperature - imaginary chemical potential plane, and discuss perspectives for realistic calculations.
Properties of QCD at finite imaginary chemical potential are revisited to utilize for the model building of QCD in low energy regimes. For example, the electric holonomy which is closely related to the Polyakov-loop drastically affects thermodynamic quantities beside the Roberge-Weiss transition line. To incorporate several properties at finite imaginary chemical potential, it is important to introduce the holonomy effects to the coupling constant of effective models. This extension is possible by considering the entanglement vertex. We show justifications of the entanglement vertex based on t…
The phase structure of the two-flavor Polyakov-loop extended Nambu-Jona-Lashinio model is explored at finite temperature and imaginary chemical potential with a particular emphasis on the confinement-deconfinement transition. We point out that the confined phase is characterized by a $\cos3μ_I/T$ dependence of the chiral condensate on the imaginary chemical potential while in the deconfined phase this dependence is given by $\cosμ_I/T$ and accompanied by a cusp structure induced by the Z(3) transition. We demonstrate that the phase structure of the model strongly depends on the choice of the P…
The phase structure of two-flavor QCD is investigated at real isospin and imaginary quark chemical potentials by using the Polyakov-loop extended Nambu--Jona-Lasinio model. In the region, parity symmetry is spontaneously broken by the pion superfluidity phase transition, whereas charge-conjugation symmetry is spontaneously violated by the Roberge-Weiss transition. The chiral (deconfinement) crossover at zero isospin and quark chemical potentials is a remnant of the parity (charge-conjugation) violation. The interplay between the parity and charge-conjugation violations are analyzed, and it is …
The phase structure of Polyakov-loop extended Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (PNJL) model is explored at imaginary chemical potential, with particular emphasis on the deconfinement transition. We point out that the statistical confinement nature of the model naturally leads to characteristic dependence of the chiral condensate $<\bar{q}q>$ on $θ=μ_I/T$. We introduce a dual parameter for the deconfinement transition by making use of this dependence. By changing a four-fermion coupling constant, we tune the location of the critical endpoint of the deconfinement transition.
At finite imaginary values of the chemical potential, QCD is free of the sign problem. Moreover, at high temperatures the partition function exhibits a new symmetry (the Roberge-Weiss symmetry) connecting phases with different orientations of the Polyakov loop, and the corresponding phase transitions between these. In this contribution we investigate the perturbative one-loop effective potential for the Polyakov loop in the presence of imaginary isospin as well as baryon chemical potentials. This leads to a novel phase diagram, which reveals an interesting insight about the rich phase structur…
The first principle lattice QCD methods allow to calculate the thermodynamic observables at finite temperature and imaginary chemical potential. These can be compared to the predictions of various phenomenological models. We argue that Fourier coefficients with respect to imaginary baryochemical potential are sensitive to modeling of baryonic interactions. As a first application of this sensitivity, we consider the hadron resonance gas (HRG) model with repulsive baryonic interactions, which are modeled by means of the excluded volume correction. The Fourier coefficients of the imaginary part o…
We present results on the QCD phase diagram for mu_B <= pi T. Our simulations are performed with an imaginary chemical potential mu_I for which the fermion determinant is positive. On an 8^3 x 4 lattice with 2 flavors of staggered quarks, we map out the phase diagram and identify the pseudo-critical temperature T_c(mu_I). For mu_I/T <= pi/3, this is an analytic function, whose Taylor expansion is found to converge rapidly, with truncation errors far smaller than statistical ones. The truncated series may then be continued to real mu, yielding the corresponding phase diagram for mu_B <~ 500 MeV…
We investigate the phase structure of two-color QCD at both real and imaginary chemical potentials mu, performing lattice simulations and analyzing the data with the Polyakov-loop extended Nambu--Jona-Lasinio (PNJL) model. Lattice QCD simulations are done on an 8^3 times 4 lattice with the clover-improved two-flavor Wilson fermion action and the renormalization-group improved Iwasaki gauge action. We test the analytic continuation of physical quantities from imaginary mu to real mu by comparing lattice QCD results calculated at real mu with the result of analytic function the coefficients of w…
The chiral symmetry of QCD with two massless quark flavours gets restored in a non-analytic chiral phase transition at finite temperature and zero density. Whether this is a first-order or a second-order transition has not yet been determined unambiguously, due to the difficulties of simulating light quarks. We investigate the nature of the chiral transition as a function of quark mass and imaginary chemical potential, using staggered fermions on N_t=4 lattices. At sufficiently large imaginary chemical potential, a clear signal for a first-order transition is obtained for small masses, which w…
We investigate the order of the finite temperature chiral symmetry restoration transition for QCD with two massless fermions, by using a novel method, based on simulating imaginary values of the quark chemical potential $μ=iμ_i,μ_i\in\mathbb{R}$. Our method exploits the fact that, for low enough quark mass $m$ and large enough chemical potential $μ_i$, the chiral transition is decidedly first order, then turning into crossover at a critical mass $m_c(μ)$. It is thus possible to determine the critical line in the $m - μ^2$ plane, which can be safely extrapolated to the chiral limit by taking ad…
The method of analytic continuation from imaginary to real chemical potentials $μ$ is one of the few available techniques to study QCD at finite temperature and baryon density. One of its most appealing applications is the determination of the critical line for small $μ$: we perform a direct test of the validity of the method in this case by studying two-color QCD, where the sign problem is absent. The (pseudo)critical line is found to be analytic around $μ^2 = 0$, but a very large precision would be needed at imaginary $μ$ to correctly predict the location of the critical line at real $μ$.
We explore the highly non-perturbative hot region of the QCD phase diagram close to Tc by use of an imaginary chemical potential mu which avoids the sign problem. The number density and the quark number susceptibility are consistent with a critical behaviour associated with the transition line in the negative mu^2 half-plane. We compare the analytic continuation of these results with various phenomenological models, none of which provides a satisfactory description of data, a failure on which we make some comments. These results complement and extend the information obtained via the analysis o…
We discuss analytic continuation as a tool to extract the cumulants of the quark number fluctuations in the strongly interacting medium from lattice QCD simulations at imaginary chemical potentials. The method is applied to $N_f = 2+1$ QCD, discretized with stout improved staggered fermions, physical quark masses and the tree level Symanzik gauge action, exploring temperatures ranging from 135 up to 350 MeV and adopting mostly lattices with $N_t = 8$ sites in the temporal direction. The method is based on a global fit of various cumulants as a function of the imaginary chemical potentials. We …
We present here the results from an ongoing determination of the critical quark mass in simulations of (2+1)-flavor QCD with an imaginary chemical potential. Studies with unimproved actions found the existence of a critical quark mass value at which the crossover transition ends on a second order phase transition and becomes first order for smaller values of the quark mass for the case of both vanishing and imaginary chemical potential. We use the Highly Improved Staggered Quark (HISQ) action and perform calculations in the Roberge-Weiss (RW) plane, where the value of the critical mass is expe…
Motivated by lattice QCD studies we investigate the RW transition endpoint at imaginary chemical potential in a two-flavor PNJL model. We focus on the quark-mass dependence of the endpoint using different forms of the Polyakov-loop potential.
We study QCD at nonzero temperature and baryon density in the framework of the analytic continuation from imaginary chemical potential. We carry out simulations of QCD with four flavor of staggered fermions, and reconstruct the phase diagram in the temperature-imaginary μplane. We consider ansätze for the analytic continuation of the critical line and other observables motivated both by theoretical considerations and mean field calculations in four fermion models and random matrix theory. We determine the critical line, and the analytic continuation of the chiral condensate, up to μ_B approx. …
We present results from an ongoing study of the phase diagram of (2+1)-flavor QCD using the HISQ action with smaller than physical light quark masses in the Roberge-Weiss (RW) plane on lattices with temporal extent $N_τ=4$. We find that the endpoint of the $1^{st}$ order RW transition line remains $2^{nd}$ order at least down to light quark masses corresponding to Goldstone pion masses of $55$ MeV. Furthermore, we show that the chiral condensate is sensitive to the RW transition and may serve as a energy-like operator characterizing universal behavior close to the RW endpoint.
A quasiparticle model of the quark-gluon plasma is compared with lattice QCD data for purely imaginary chemical potential. Net quark number density, susceptibility as well as the deconfinement border line in the phase diagram of strongly interacting matter are investigated. In addition, the impact of baryo-chemical potential dependent quasiparticle masses is discussed. This accomplishes a direct test of the model for non-zero baryon density. The found results are compared with lattice QCD data for real chemical potential by means of analytic continuation and with a different (independent) set …
We study properties of two-color QCD at imaginary chemical potential ($μ$) from the viewpoint of the Roberge-Weiss (RW) periodicity, the charge conjugation and the pseudo-reality. At $μ=\pm iπT/2$, where $T$ is temperature, the system is symmetric under the combination of the charge conjugation ${\cal C}$ and the ${\mathbb Z}_{2}$ transformation. The symmetry, called ${\cal C} {\mathbb Z}_{2}$ symmetry, is preserved at lower $T$ but broken at higher $T$. The Polyakov-loop extended Nambu--Jona-Lasinio (PNJL) model has the same properties as two-color QCD for ${\cal C} {\mathbb Z}_{2}$ symmetry …
Charge conjugation (C) and Parity (P) are exact symmetries at theta =pi and Theta = mu/(iT)=pi, where theta is the parameter of the so-called theta-vacuum, mu is the imaginary quark-number chemical potential and T is the temperature. Spontaneous breakings of these discrete symmetries are investigated by the the Polyakov-loop extended Nambu--Jona-Lasinio (PNJL) model. At zero T, P symmetry is spontaneously broken while C symmetry is conserved. As T increases, P symmetry is restored just after C symmetry is spontaneously broken, so that either P or C symmetry or both the symmetries are spontaneo…
We study the deconfinement and chiral restoration transitions in the context of non-local PNJL models, considering the impact of the presence of dynamical quarks on the scale parameter appearing in the Polyakov potential. We show that the corresponding critical temperatures are naturally entangled for both zero and imaginary chemical potential, in good agreement with lattice QCD results. We also analyze the Roberge Weiss transition, which is found to be first order at the associated endpoint.
We investigate inhomogeneous chiral condensates, such as the so-called dual chiral density wave of dense quark matter, under an external magnetic field at finite real and imaginary chemical potentials. In a model-independent manner, we find that analytic continuation from imaginary to real chemical potential is not possible due to the singularity induced by inhomogeneous chiral condensates at zero chemical potential. From the discussion on the non-analyticity and methods used in lattice QCD simulations, e.g., Taylor expansion, and the analytic continuation with an imaginary chemical potential,…
Effects of the vector-type four-quark interaction on QCD phase structure are investigated in the imaginary chemical potential region, by using the Polyakov-loop extended Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (PNJL) model with the extended Z3 symmetry. In the course to this end, we clarify analytically the Roberge-Weiss periodicity and symmetry properties of various quantities under the existence of a vector-type four-quark interaction. In the imaginary chemical potential region, the chiral condensate and the quark number density are sensitive to the strength of the interaction. Based on this result, we propose a…
Lattice QCD has the sign problem at real quark chemical potential. There are some regions with no sign problem; one is the imaginary quark chemical potential region and the others are the real and imaginary isospin chemical potential regions. We show that the Polyakov-loop extended Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (PNJL) model can reproduce LQCD data in the regions. We also determine the model parameters from the data and predict the QCD phase diagram in the real quark chemical potential region.
We study QCD thermodynamics in presence of two independent imaginary chemical potentials coupled to two degenerate flavors of staggered quarks. Analytic continuation is used to determine non-linear susceptibilities, to test the Hadron Resonance Gas (HRG) model below the zero density critical temperature, Tc, and to determine the average phase factor of the fermion determinant. Deviations from HRG predictions, of the order of a few percent, are clearly visible for temperatures T > 0.95 Tc. The determination of non-linear susceptibilities, using different interpolating functions for analytic con…
We investigate temperature ($T$) dependence of quark number densities ($n_q$) at imaginary and real chemical potential ($μ$) by using $N_f = 2$ lattice QCD and the hadron resonance gas (HRG) model. Quark number densities are calculated at imaginary $μ$ with lattice QCD on an $8^2 \times 16 \times 4$ lattice with the clover-improved $N_f =2$ Wilson fermion action and the renormalization-group-improved Iwasaki gauge action. The results are consistent with the previous results of the staggered-type quark action. The $n_q$ obtained are extrapolated to real $μ$ by assuming the Fourier series for th…
Using the Polyakov extended Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (PNJL) model with imaginary chemical potential, the relation between the Roberge-Weiss (RW) phase transition and the extended Z3 symmetry is studied. At low temperature, there is approximate continuous symmetry under the phase transformation of the Polyakov loop with the shift of the imaginary chemical potential. Due to this continuous symmetry, the Polyakov loop can oscillate smoothly as the imaginary chemical potential increases. At high temperature, this continuous symmetry is broken to an exact discrete symmetry, the extended Z3 symmetry, and …
We study QCD at finite temperature in the presence of imaginary electric fields. In particular, we determine the electric susceptibility, the leading coefficient in the expansion of the QCD pressure in the imaginary field. Unlike for magnetic fields, at nonzero temperature this coefficient requires a non-trivial separation of genuine electric field-related effects and spurious effects related to the chemical potential, which becomes an unphysical gauge parameter in this setting. Our results are based on lattice simulations with stout improved dynamical staggered quarks at physical quark masses…
We evaluate the finite temperature scalar sunset diagram with imaginary square masses, that appears in the Gribov-Zwanziger approach to Yang-Mills (YM) theory beyond one-loop order. Since YM theory at finite temperature is governed by center-symmetry and the Polyakov loop, we also include the possibility of a constant temporal background gauge field in the form of color-dependent imaginary chemical potentials.
We extend the Polyakov-loop extended Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (PNJL) model by introducing an effective four-quark vertex depending on Polyakov loop. The effective vertex generates entanglement interactions between Polyakov loop and chiral condensate. The new model is consistent with lattice QCD data at imaginary quark-number chemical potential and real and imaginary isospin chemical potentials, particularly on strong correlation between the chiral and deconfinement transitions and also on the quark-mass dependence of the order of the Roberge-Weiss endpoint predicted by lattice QCD very lately. We in…
Thermodynamic geometry in hadron resonance gas model at real and imaginary baryon chemical potential and a simple sufficient condition for quark deconfinement
Saga University（佐贺大学）；Khazar University（阿塞拜疆坎扎尔大学）；Fukuoka Institute of Technology（福冈工业大学）
With the aim of setting constraints for the modeling of the QCD phase diagram, the phase structure of the two-flavor Polyakov-loop extended Nambu and Jona-Lasinio (PNJL) model is investigated in the range of imaginary chemical potentials ($μ_\mathrm{I}$) and compared with available $N_f=2$ lattice QCD results. The calculations are performed using the advanced nonlocal version of the PNJL model with the inclusion of vector-type quasiparticle interactions between quarks, and with wave-function-renormalization corrections. It is demonstrated that the nonlocal PNJL model reproduces important featu…
Phase structure of magnetized quark matter at imaginary chemical potential
Instituto de Física La Plata, CONICET − - Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La PLata（拉普拉塔物理研究所，阿根廷国家科学研究委员会，拉普拉塔国立大学理学院物理系）；CONICET（阿根廷国家科学研究委员会）；Physics Department, Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica（阿根廷国家原子能委员会物理系）
We study properties of 2+1-flavor QCD in the imaginary chemical potential region by using two approaches. One is a theoretical approach based on QCD partition function, and the other is a qualitative one based on the Polyakov-loop extended Nambu--Jona-Lasinio (PNJL) model. In the theoretical approach, we clarify conditions imposed on the imaginary chemical potentials $μ_{f}=iθ_{f}T$ to realize the Roberge-Weiss (RW) periodicity. We also show that the RW periodicity is broken if anyone of $θ_{f}$ is fixed to a constant value. In order to visualize the condition, we use the PNJL model as a model…
We present a derivation of an exact high temperature expansion for a one-loop thermodynamic potential $Ω(\tildeμ)$ with complex chemical potential $\tildeμ$. The result is given in terms of a single sum the coefficients of which are analytical functions of $\tildeμ$ consisting of polynomials and polygamma functions, decoupled from the physical expansion parameter $βm$. The analytic structure of the coefficients permits us to explicitly calculate the thermodynamic potential for the imaginary chemical potential and analytically continue the domain to the complex $\tildeμ$ plane. Furthermore, our…
Some consequences of the analyticity of the free energy (pressure) of QCD at finite chemical potential are deduced. These include a method for numerical exploration of the full phase diagram by a novel use of simulations at imaginary chemical potential to extract Yang-Lee zeroes of the grand-canonical partition function. We make use of, and comment on, CPT symmetries, positivity of non-linear susceptibilities and the finiteness of screening lengths. We also comment on the structure of zeroes expected for the usual picture of the phases of QCD, following a discussion of the physics of imaginary…
The real and imaginary parts of the \bar K^0 d scattering length are extracted from the \bar K^0 d mass spectrum obtained from the reaction pp \to d \bar K^0 K^+ measured recently at the Cooler Synchrotron COSY at Jülich. We extract a new limit on the K^- d scattering length, namely Im a \le 1.3 fm and |Re a| \le 1.3 fm. The limit for the imaginary part of the K^- d scattering length is supported by data on the total K^- d cross sections.
We study an 't Hooft anomaly of massless QCD at finite temperature. With the imaginary baryon chemical potential at the Roberge-Weiss point, there is a $\mathbb{Z}_2$ symmetry which can be used to define confinement. We show the existence of a mixed anomaly between the $\mathbb{Z}_2$ symmetry and the chiral symmetry, which gives a strong relation between confinement and chiral symmetry breaking. The anomaly is a parity anomaly in the QCD Lagrangian reduced to three dimensions. It is reproduced in the chiral Lagrangian by a topological term related to Skyrmion charge, matching the anomaly befor…
We review our results for the QCD phase diagram at baryonic chemical potential mu_B \leq pi T. Our simulations are performed with an imaginary chemical potential mu_I for which the fermion determinant is positive. For 2 flavors of staggered quarks, we map out the phase diagram and identify the pseudo-critical temperature T_c(mu_I). For mu_I/T \leq pi/3, this is an analytic function, whose Taylor expansion is found to converge rapidly, with truncation errors far smaller than statistical ones. The truncated series may then be continued to real mu, yielding the corresponding phase diagram for mu_…
We present results for the phase diagram of QCD with two massless quark flavours as obtained from a first-principles functional renormalisation group approach. In particular we compute order parameters for chiral symmetry breaking and quark confinement at vanishing and non-zero imaginary chemical potential. Our analytical and numerical results suggest a close relation between the chiral and the deconfinement phase transition. We discuss the properties of dual order parameters at imaginary and real chemical potential.
