Abstract
We study the diagram for the chiral phases of QCD on the plane of temperature and chemical potential. The calculation is based on the extension of a composite-operator formalism already employed for zero temperature and density. We find that, moving along the critical line for increasing chemical potential, one encounters a point separating second-order and first-order chiral phase transitions. The overall phase diagram is found to qualitatively reproduce the pattern for the Gross-Neveu model. Our study suggests the occurrence of metastable phases.
- Received 19 October 1989
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.41.1610
©1990 American Physical Society