Behavior of physical observables in the vicinity of the QCD critical end point

Abstract

Using the SU(3) Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model, we study the chiral phase transition at finite $T$ and $\mu_B$. Special attention is given to the QCD critical end point (CEP): the study of physical quantities, as the pressure, the entropy, the baryon number susceptibility and the specific heat near the CEP, will provide complementary information concerning the order of the phase transition. We also analyze the information provided by the study of the critical exponents around the CEP.Comment: Talk given at Quark Confinement and the Hadron Spectrum VII, Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal, 2-7 Sep 200