Flux tube delocalization at the deconfinement point

Abstract

We study the behaviour of the flux tube thickness in the vicinity of the deconfinement transition. We show, using effective string methods, that in this regime the square width increases linearly and not logarithmically with the interquark distance. The amplitude of this linear growth is an increasing function of the temperature and diverges as the deconfinement transition is approached from below. These predictions are in good agreement with a set of simulations performed in the 3d gauge Ising model.

16 pages, 1 figure. Revised version, with an improved discussion of the dimensional reduction approach. Accepted for publication in JHEP