Speaker
Description
QED corrections to observables in QCD are by now well-understood at zero temperature, where QED effects are perturbative and are required for precision physics observables, such as the neutron-proton mass difference or the muon g-2, among many others. However, there are indications that at finite temperature the introduction of QED can lead to non-perturbative effects, affecting the structure of the phase diagram, since the combined theory is exactly center-symmetric. In this talk, we will analyze the structure of the combined theory and the different strategies to simulate it on the lattice. We will continue by presenting novel results of lattice QCD+QED simulations at finite temperature, focusing on understanding the role of the electromagnetic coupling in the thermodynamics of this system. We will also discuss new features that arise in the combined theory and the challenges that these simulations entail, as well as the new directions we are currently developing to understand the phase diagram of QCD+QED from first principles.