Constraints for the QCD phase diagram from imaginary chemical potential

Abstract

We present unambiguous evidence from lattice simulations of N_f=3 QCD for two tricritical points in the (T,m) phase diagram at fixed imaginary \mu/T=i\pi/3 mod. 2\pi/3, one in the light and one in the heavy quark regime. Together with similar results in the literature for N_f=2 this implies the existence of a chiral and of a deconfinement tricritical line at those values of imaginary chemical potentials. These tricritical lines represent the boundaries of the analytically continued chiral and deconfinement critical surfaces, respectively, which delimit the parameter space with first order phase transitions. It is demonstrated that the shape of the deconfinement critical surface is dictated by tricritical scaling and implies the weakening of the deconfinement transition with real chemical potential. A qualitatively similar effect holds for the chiral critical surface.