Bulk Thermodynamics of SU(N) Lattice Gauge Theories at Large-N

Abstract

We present a study of bulk thermodynamical quantities in the deconfined phase of pure lattice SU(N) gauge theories. We find that the deficit in pressure and entropy with respect to their free-gas values, for N=4,8, is remarkably close to that of SU(3). Th is suggests that understanding the strongly interacting nature of the deconfined phase, which is crucial for RHIC physics, can be done at large N. There, different analytical approaches simplify or become soluble, and one can check their predictions and point to their important ingredients.