A descriptive analysis of economic indicators

Economic indicators

Lattice QCD-based equations of state at vanishing net-baryon density

We present realistic equations of state for QCD matter at vanishing net-baryon density which embed recent lattice QCD results at high temperatures combined with a hadron resonance gas model in the low-temperature, confined phase. In the latter, we allow an implementation of partial chemical equilibrium, in which particle ratios are fixed at the chemical freeze-out, so that a description closer to the experimental situation is possible. Given the present uncertainty in the determination of the chemical freeze-out temperature from first-principle lattice QCD calculations, we consider different values within the expected range. The corresponding equations of state can be applied in the hydrodynamic modeling of relativistic heavy-ion collisions at the LHC and at the highest RHIC beam energies. Suitable parametrizations of our results as functions of the energy density are also provided.Comment: Updated journal version with refined EoS-parametrization. July 2014. 8 pp. 4 figs. 3 parametrization-tables and weblink Ref. [45

Mesonic correlation functions at finite temperature and density in the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model with a Polyakov loop

We investigate the properties of scalar and pseudo-scalar mesons at finite temperature and quark chemical potential in the framework of the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model coupled to the Polyakov loop (PNJL model) with the aim of taking into account features of both chiral symmetry breaking and deconfinement. The mesonic correlators are obtained by solving the Schwinger-Dyson equation in the RPA approximation with the Hartree (mean field) quark propagator at finite temperature and density. In the phase of broken chiral symmetry a narrower width for the sigma meson is obtained with respect to the NJL case; on the other hand, the pion still behaves as a Goldstone boson. When chiral symmetry is restored, the pion and sigma spectral functions tend to merge. The Mott temperature for the pion is also computed.Comment: 24 pages, 9 figures, version to appear in Phys. Rev.