Fluctuations and correlations in high temperature QCD

Abstract

We calculate second- and fourth-order cumulants of conserved charges in a temperature range stretching from the QCD transition region towards the realm of (resummed) perturbation theory. We perform lattice simulations with staggered quarks; the continuum extrapolation is based on $N_t=10\dots24$ in the crossover-region and $N_t=8\dots16$ at higher temperatures. We find that the Hadron Resonance Gas model predictions describe the lattice data rather well in the confined phase. At high temperatures (above $\sim$250 MeV) we find agreement with the three-loop Hard Thermal Loop results.

18 pages revtex, 13 figures