Fundamental Matter and the Deconfining Phase Transition in 2+1 D

Gerald V. Dunne, Alex Kovner, Shinsuke M. Nishigaki

Published 2002-07-05, updated 2002-08-30Version 2

We analyze the effect of heavy fundamentally charged particles on the finite temperature deconfining phase transition in the 2+1 dimensional Georgi-Glashow model. We show that in the presence of fundamental matter the transition turns into a crossover. The near critical theory is mapped onto the 2 dimensional Ising model in an external magnetic field. Using this mapping we determine the width of the crossover region as well as the specific heat as a function of the fundamental mass.