On the Free Energy of Noncommutative Quantum Electrodynamics at High Temperature

Abstract

We compute higher order contributions to the free energy of noncommutative quantum electrodynamics at a nonzero temperature $T$. Our calculation includes up to three-loop contributions (fourth order in the coupling constant $e$). In the high temperature limit we sum all the {\it ring diagrams} and obtain a result which has a peculiar dependence on the coupling constant. For large values of $eθT^2$ ($θ$ is the magnitude of the noncommutative parameters) this non-perturbative contribution exhibits a non-analytic behavior proportional to $e^3$. We show that above a certain critical temperature, there occurs a thermodynamic instability which may indicate a phase transition.