Polyakov loop model with exact static quark determinant in the 't Hooft-Veneziano limit: U(N) case

I investigate a $d$-dimensional $U(N)$ Polyakov loop model that includes the exact static determinant with $N_f$ degenerate quark flavor and depends explicitly on the quark mass and chemical potential. In the large $N, N_f$ limit mean field gives the exact solution, and the core of the Polyakov loop model is reduced to a deformed unitary matrix model, which I solve exactly. I compute the free energy, the expectation value of the Polyakov loop, and the quark condensate. The phase diagram of the model and the type of phase transition is investigated and shows it depends on the ratio $κ=N_f/N$.

💡 Research Summary

The paper presents a comprehensive analytical study of a d‑dimensional U(N) Polyakov loop (PL) model that incorporates the exact static quark determinant for N_f degenerate flavors. The determinant depends on the quark mass m and chemical potential μ through the parameter h = exp(−N_t arcsinh m) e^{±μ}. The model’s partition function is

Z_Λ(N,N_f)=∫∏_x dU(x) exp