DETERMINING THE NATURE OF THE FINITE TEMPERATURE TRANSITION OF QCD WITH DYNAMIC FERMIONS

Numerical results are presented for lattice QCD with m = 0.1 four-flavour staggered fermions around the finite-temperature transition at β = 5.13 on a 103 × 4 volume using the Hybrid Monte Carlo. A method is described that extends the β range that can be analysed using data gathered at only one β value. The nature of the order of the transition at m = 0.1 is discussed using results from 63 × 4-103 × 4 volumes. Over this range, a standard test indicates that the data are more consistent with a sharp crossover and shows that the first-order transition, when it develops on larger lattices, must be rather weak. © 1990.