QCD thermodynamics from lattice calculations with non-equilibrium methods: The SU(3) equation of state

Abstract

A precise lattice determination of the equation of state in SU(3) Yang-Mills theory is carried out by means of a simulation algorithm, based on Jarzynski's theorem, that allows one to compute physical quantities in thermodynamic equilibrium, by driving the field configurations of the system out of equilibrium. The physical results and the computational efficiency of the algorithm are compared with other state-of-the-art lattice calculations, and the extension to full QCD with dynamical fermions and to other observables is discussed.Comment: 1+23 pages, 5 pdf figures; v2: 1+32 pages, 7 pdf figures, discussion expanded, version published in the journa