QCD at small baryon number

Abstract

We consider the difficulties of finite density QCD from the canonical formalism. We present results for small baryon numbers, where the sign problem can be controlled, in particular by supplementing the mu=0 sampling with imaginary mu ensembles. We initiate the thermodynamic study of few-nucleon systems, starting with the measurement of the free energy of a few baryons in the confined and deconfined phase. We present a simple model for the phase transition, whose results are in good agreement with the literature, but extend to lower temperatures.