Partition functions of the quark–gluon black body and density of states

Abstract

The problem of the determination of the asymptotic density of states of the quark–gluon gas is reconsidered. A general method emerges, which unifies and simplifies previous derivations that can be found in the literature. It takes due account of various constraints on the configurations of the system: colorlessness, conservation of electric and baryonic charges, zero total momentum, and possibly some residual flavor symmetry. It is general enough to accommodate any constraint associated to a compact Lie group. This is shown in full detail in the case of a direct product of SU(N) groups. Explicit examples are completely worked out.