Glueball-Like Screening Masses in Pure SU(3) at Finite Temperatures

Abstract

We investigate the finite-temperature excitation spectrum in the gluon sector of $SU(3)$ pure gauge theory through measurements of screening masses in correlations of loop operators. We develop the classification of such operators under the symmetry group of the `$z$-slice'. In the confined phase of the theory, we find that the spectrum dynamically realises the zero temperature symmetries. We observe a large thermal shift of the $0^{++}$ glueball mass. In the deconfined phase, the spectrum distinguishes between operators coupling to electrically and magnetically polarised gluon fields. The former yields a screening mass equal to the Wilson-line screening mass; the latter, a method for the measurement of the magnetic mass in the high-temperature limit.