QCD Critical Point and Complex Chemical Potential Singularities

Abstract

The thermodynamic singularities of QCD in the plane of complex baryo-chemical potential mu are studied. Predictions are made using scaling and universality arguments in the vicinity of the massless quark limit. The results are illustrated by a calculation of complex mu singularities in a random matrix model at finite temperature. Implications for lattice QCD simulations aimed at locating the QCD critical point are discussed.