An SU(2) KvBLL caloron gas model and confinement

Abstract

A semi-classical model is developed to describe pure SU(2) Yang-Mills gluodynamics at finite temperature as a dilute, non-interacting gas of Kraan-van Baal-Lee-Lu calorons including the case of non-trivial holonomy. Temperature dependent parameters of the model (asymptotic caloron holonomy, caloron density and caloron size distribution) are discussed from the point of view of lattice observations and of in-medium modifications of the one-loop caloron amplitude. Space-like string tensions running into plateaux at distances R \approx 0.8 - 1.3 fm are obtained and compared to lattice results in order to find more precisely the average caloron size. Then, the quark-antiquark free energy as predicted by the model is considered. In the confined phase a linear rise with the separation can be observed up to R \approx 4 fm, whereas it runs into plateaux above T_c. Screening effects in the adjoint potentials are observed together with an approximate Casimir scaling of the caloron contribution to the fundamental and adjoint forces. In Abelian projection, space-like percolation of monopoles is found in the confined phase only. Thus, taking the non-trivial holonomy into account, confinement properties of pure SU(2) Yang-Mills gluodynamics can be described by a semi-classical approach up to distances one order of magnitude larger than the caloron size.