Talk presented by Michael Ogilvie

Parallel Session: Finite Temperature and Density I

Thursday July 1st, 15.10 - 15.30, Room 7

A Landau-Ginsberg Theory of Deconfinement

Abstract: We describe the SU(3) deconfinement transition using Landau-Ginsberg theory. Our model incorporates known results for the high-T gluon plasma with a conjectured coupling of the Polyakov loop to the scalar glueball field. Strong-coupling and perturbative arguments are given for an interaction of this type. The model has three adjustable parameters, onefrom the conjectured coupling of the Polyakov loop to the glueball field, and two from the T=0 glueball potential. The glueball potential isresponsible for the breaking of scale invariance at low temperatures. Once the three parameters of the model are fixed, the pressure, energy, Polyakov loop, glueball mass and gluon condensate are all calculable functions of temperature. An excellent fit to lattice data can be achieved. The low temperature phase of the model exhibits unbroken Z(3) symmetry and broken scale symmetry. In the high temperature phase, Z(3) symmetry is spontaneously broken, but scale symmetry need not be restored at the deconfinement transition. The deconfinement phase transition is always first order for SU(3).

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