Abstract
This talk reviews the deconfinement phase transition in Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), in relation to the spontaneous breaking of Z(3) and chiral symmetry.
QCD is an important part of the Standard Model of particle physics. It describes the strong forces between quarks and gluons, which bind together to form hadrons like protons, neutrons and pions.
The main goal of ultra-relativistic heavy ion collisions at RHIC and LHC is to produce and investigate new phases of strongly interacting matter under extreme conditions, and to study the transition of hadronic matter into a plasma of deconfined quarks and gluons. This knowledge is important for the understanding of the cooling history of the early Universe, as well as the equation of state for matter in the core of neutron stars.
In the heavy quark limit, QCD reduces to pure SU(3) gauge theory, which is of the same universality class as the 3-state Potts model. The phase transition is characterized by the spontaneous breaking of the global Z(3) center symmetry. We shall discuss the latest lattice simulation results on the order parameter and its fluctuations in the vicinity of the phase transition.
We shall also explore the chiral aspect of QCD using various confinement models, including Quantum Electrodynamics in 2+1 dimensions (QED3). This model is of general interest due to its many applications in condensed matter systems, e.g high Tc superconductors and graphene. We shall apply the Schwinger-Dyson equations to study the dynamical generation of mass and the phase diagram of QED3.
Coffee and tea will be served 20 minutes prior to the seminar.