The chiral limit and phase structure of QCD with Wilson fermions

Abstract

We study QCD with two flavours of Wilson fermions on an 83 × 4 lattice with emphasis on the approach to the chiral limit and its interplay with the finite temperature transition. We find that the point β∗c = 5.0, k∗c = 0.175 represents, in the β -k plane, the intersection of the finite temperature transition and the chiral limit. For lower values of β it is possible to approach the chiral limit in the confined phase as k → kc, whereas at higher values of β the system undergoes a finite temperature deconfining transition at finite quark mass. The value of β∗c increases with lattice size. For example we also verify that it is possible to reach the unbroken chiral limit on an 84 lattice at β = 5.0.