Open-boundary conditions in the deconfined phase.

Area of Science:

• High-energy physics
• Quantum field theory
• Lattice QCD

Background:

• Open-boundary conditions are explored for measuring topological susceptibility at high temperatures.
• Understanding boundary effects is crucial for accurate lattice QCD simulations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To measure boundary effects at specific high temperatures ($$ and $$).
• To determine scalar and pseudo-scalar screening masses.
• To estimate topological susceptibility.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing open-boundary conditions in lattice simulations.
• Analyzing the "boundary zone" length controlled by screening masses.
• Employing pseudo-scalar channel analysis for susceptibility estimation.

Main Results:

• Boundary effects differ at $$ and $$, influenced by screening masses.
• A mass gap was observed at $$ but not at $$.
• Topological susceptibility at $$ agrees with literature, but $$ results are affected by topological freezing.

Conclusions:

• Open-boundary conditions provide insights into high-temperature QCD phenomena.
• Screening masses play a key role in controlling boundary effects.
• Topological freezing at $$ limits precise susceptibility determination.