Effective potentials, thermodynamics, and twisted mass quarks

Abstract

Using effective Lagrangian arguments, I explore the qualitative behavior expected at finite temperature for two-flavor lattice QCD formulated with Wilson fermions and a twisted mass term. A rather rich phase structure is predicted, exhibiting Aoki's parity violating phase along with a deconfinement region forming a conical structure in the space of coupling, hopping parameter, and twisted mass variables.