Deconfinement and Chiral Symmetry Restoration at Finite Temperatures in SU(2) and SU(3) Gauge Theories

Abstract

At zero temperature SU(2) and SU(3) gauge theories confine quarks and spontaneously break chiral symmetry. At some nonzero temperatures ${T}_{c}$ (${T}_{F}$) these gauge theories lose confinement (chiral symmetry breaking). The order of these phase transitions and the relation between ${T}_{c}$ and ${T}_{F}$ have been studied with use of simulation methods which neglect internal fermion loops. For SU(2) both transitions are second order and $1<~\frac{{T}_{F}}{{T}_{c}}<1.30$. For SU(3) the transitions are first order and $1<~\frac{{T}_{F}}{{T}_{c}}<~1.05$, with ${T}_{c}\ensuremath{\approx}200$ MeV.