Speaker
Description
A fundamental question in finite-temperature QCD is the relation between chiral symmetry restoration and deconfinement. In real-world QCD these phenomena are usually seen as a common crossover, while theoretical arguments suggest that in the large-$N_c$ limit they may become distinct phase transitions, possibly separated by an intermediate confining but chirally symmetric phase. As a first step toward addressing this problem, we study finite-temperature quenched $SU(3)$ gauge theory on the lattice. We analyze the temperature dependence of the low-lying spectral density of the overlap Dirac operator, which is directly related to the chiral condensate through the Banks-Casher relation, together with the Polyakov loop as an indicator of deconfinement. This study provides the first step toward a systematic extension to higher $N_c$ and toward clarifying the possible existence of an intermediate phase.