Chiral symmetry in the low-energy limit of QCD at finite temperature

Abstract

We derive a non-local Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model from QCD with a form factor exactly obtained in the infrared limit. With this model, having all the parameters properly fixed through those of QCD, we consider the case of finite temperature and compute the solution of the gap equation at small temperature and small momenta and zero chemical potential. Taking the quark masses to be zero, it is proved that the theory undergoes a phase transition with a critical temperature exactly determined. These results prove unequivocally that the picture of the vacuum of QCD as a liquid of instantons is a very good approximation.