Universality of the critical point mapping between Ising model and QCD at small quark mass

Abstract

The universality of the QCD equation of state near the critical point is expressed by mapping pressure as a function of temperature $T$ and baryon chemical potential $\mu$ in QCD to Gibbs free energy as a function of reduced temperature $r$ and magnetic field $h$ in the Ising model. The mapping parameters are, in general, not universal, i.e., determined by details of the microscopic dynamics, rather than by symmetries and long-distance dynamics. In this paper we point out that in the limit of small quark masses, when the critical point is close to the tricritical point, the mapping parameters show universal dependence on the quark mass $m_q$. In particular, the angle between the $r=0$ and $h=0$ lines in the $(\mu,T)$ plane vanishes as $m_q^{2/5}$. We discuss possible phenomenological consequences of these findings.