Cold quarks in medium: an equation of state

Abstract

We derive a compact, semi-algebraic expression for the cold quark matter equation of state (EoS) in a covariant model that exhibits coincident deconfinement and chiral symmetry restoring transitions in-medium. Along the way we obtain algebraic expressions for: the number- and scalar-density distributions in both the confining Nambu and deconfined Wigner phases; and the vacuum-pressure difference between these phases, which defines a bag constant. The confining interaction materially alters the distribution functions from those of a Fermi gas and consequently has a significant impact on the model's thermodynamic properties, which is apparent in the EoS.