Phase transitions in Abelian lattice gauge theories

We study the phase transition in the U(1) lattice gauge theory using the Wilson-Polyakov line as the order parameter. The Wilson-Polyakov line remains very small at strong coupling and becomes non-zero at weak coupling, signalling a confinement-to-deconfinement phase transition. The decondensation of monopole loops is responsible for this phase transition. A finite size scaling analysis of the susceptibility of the Wilson line gives a ratio for gamma/nu which is quite close to the corresponding value in the three-dimensional planar model. A scaling behaviour of the monopole loop distribution function is also established at the point of the second-order phase transition. A measurement of the plaquette susceptibility at the transition point shows that it does not scale with the four-dimensional volume as is expected of a first-order bulk transition.