A study of the 't Hooft loop in SU(2) Yang-Mills theory

Abstract

We study the behaviour of the spatial and temporal 't Hooft loop at zero and finite temperature in the 4D SU(2) Yang-Mills theory, using a new numerical method. In the deconfined phase $T>T_c$, the spatial 't Hooft loop exhibits a dual string tension, which vanishes at $T_c$ with 3D Ising-like critical exponent.

4 pages, 5 figures. Version accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Lett