Chiral symmetry restoration and the critical end point in QCD

In a system of quark matter we study the chiral phase transition, the behavior of the chiral and quark number susceptibility and the CEP at finite temperature and chemical potential. This is done within the framework of two-flavor Nambu and Jona-Lasinio model. We have calculated the chiral quark condensate and the quark number density and, with this, we have found the phase transition type. With these quantities we have determined the phase diagram for QCD and the CEP.

Susceptibilities and critical exponents within the Nambu–Jona-Lasinio model

In the mean field approximation of (2 + 1)-flavor Nambu–Jona-Lasinio model, we strictly derive several sets of coupled equations for the chiral susceptibility, the quark number susceptibility, etc. at finite temperature and quark chemical potential. The critical exponents of these susceptibilities in the vicinity of the QCD critical end point (CEP) are presented in SU(2) and SU(3) cases, respectively. It is found that these various susceptibilities share almost the same critical behavior near the CEP. The comparisons between the critical exponents for the order parameters and the theoretical predictions are also included.