Finite dt dependence of the Binder cumulants for 3-flavor QCD at finite temperature and isospin density

Abstract

We simulate 3-flavour lattice QCD at small isospin chemical potential $μ_I$ and finite temperature $T$. At $μ_I=0$ there is a critical mass $m_c$ where the finite-temperature transition changes from first order to a crossover. We measure the $μ_I$ dependence of the transition $β$ ($β_c$) for $m$ close to $m_c$. $β_c$ and hence $T_c$ decrease slowly with increasing $μ_I$. $β_c$ at finite $μ_I$ is in good agreement $β_c$ at finite $μ$ (quark-number chemical potential). We use fourth-order Binder cumulants to determine the nature of this transition and to search for a critical endpoint. We measure the $dt$ dependence of these cumulants and extrapolate to $dt=0$. ($dt$ is the `time' increment used in the hybrid molecular-dynamics simulations.) Preliminary measurements of these Binder cumulants show little $μ_I$ dependence. (Simulations at imaginary $μ$ indicate that the $μ$ dependence of the Binder cumulants is also weak.) This contrasts to the $μ_I$ dependence we observed at fixed $dt$.

15 pages, 6 figures. Talk presented at the Workshop on QCD in Extreme Environments, Argonne National Laboratory, 29th June to 3rd July, 2004