The Status of Lattice QCD at Finite Temperature

Abstract

The status of lattice QCD investigations at high temperature is reviewed. After a short introduction into thermal QCD on the lattice we report on the present understanding of the phase diagram and the equation of state, in particular in presence of dynamical quarks. We continue with a discussion of various screening lengths in the plasma phase including results from dimensionally reduced QCD. This is followed by summarizing lattice data on quark number susceptibilities and spectral densities, both of which are of immediate relevance to the interpretation of heavy ion experiments. A major section is devoted to presenting simulations of QCD at small yet phenomenologically important values for the baryon density.