QCD Thermodynamics: Lattice Results confront Models

We show that lattice results on four flavor QCD at nonzero temperature and baryon density compare well with the hadron resonance gas model up to T approx. 0.95 Tc, and approach a free field behaviour with a reduced effective number of flavor for T \ge 1.5 Tc. Chiral symmetry and confinement are interrelated, and we note analogies between the critical line of QCD and that of simple models with the same global symmetries.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures; talk given at the conference Strong and Electroweak Matter 2004, Helsinki, Finland, 16-19 June 200

Topology on the Lattice

We review the method developed in Pisa to determine the topological susceptibility in lattice QCD and present a collection of new and old results obtained by the method.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures. Contribution to "Sense of Beauty in Physics - a volume in honour of Adriano Di Giacomo" (Pisa University Press, Pisa, 2006), on the occasion of his 70th birthda

Finite density QCD via imaginary chemical 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 \mu plane. We consider ans\"atze 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 \mu_B approx. 500 MeV. The results are in qualitative agreement with the predictions of model field theories, and consistent with a first order chiral transition. The correlation between the chiral transition and the deconfinement transition observed at \mu=0 persists at nonzero density.Comment: 27 pages, 10 figures, comments and references adde

Imaginary chemical potential in QCD at finite temperature

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.Comment: 8 pages, 4 eps figures, reference added. Proceedings of the GISELDA Meeting held in Frascati, Italy, 14-18 January 200

Topology, chiral and screening transitions at finite density in two colour QCD

The behaviour of the topological susceptibility in QCD with two colours and 8 flavours of quarks is studied at nonzero temperature on the lattice across the finite density transition. It is shown that its signal drops at a (pseudo-)critical chemical potential mu_c. The Polyakov loop and the chiral condensate undergo their transitions at the same value. Pauli blocking supervenes at a value of the chemical potential larger than mu_c.Comment: Latex file (uses espcrc2.sty), 4 pages, 4 ps figures; talk presented at QCD-06, Montpellier, July 200

Hie-Isolde High Beta Cavity Study and Measurements

The upgrade of the ISOLDE machine at CERN foresees a superconducting linac based on two gap independently phased Nb sputtered Quarter Wave Resonators (QWRs) working at 101.28MHz and producing an accelerating field of 6MV/m on axis. A careful study of the fields in the cavity has been carried out in order to pin down the crucial e-m parameters of the structure such as peak fields, quality factor and e-m power dissipated on the cavity wall. A tuning system with about 200kHz frequency range has been developed in order to cope with fabrication tolerances. In this paper we will report on the cavity simulations. The tuning plate design will be described. Finally the frequency measurements on a cavity prototype at room temperature will be presented.Comment: 5 pages, SRF09 Conference in Berli

Confining properties of 2-color QCD at finite density

We study the confining properties of QCD with two colors across the finite density phase transition. A disorder parameter detecting dual superconductivity of the QCD vacuum is used as a probe for the confinement/deconfinement phase transition.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, talk presented at Lattice 2006 (High Temperature and Density

Vector spectrum and color screening in two color QCD at nonzero T and \mu

We discuss a few aspects of the phase diagram of two color lattice QCD: we investigate the long distance screening analyzing the behavior of the interquark potential at large distances; we present a first set of results for vector mesons and diquarks; we note similarities and differences between features at high temperature and high baryon density.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures; talk at the GISELDA Meeting held in Frascati, Italy, 14-18 January 200

Topological susceptibility at zero and finite TT in SU(3) Yang-Mills theory

We determine the topological susceptibility $\chi$ at T=0 in pure SU(3) gauge theory and its behaviour at finite $T$ across the deconfining transition. We use an improved topological charge density operator. $\chi$ drops sharply by one order of magnitude at the deconfining temperature $T_c$.Comment: Recently appeared erratum added as an "Appendix" to the original pape