Confinement in the Deconfined Phase: A numerical study with a cluster algorithm

We have previously found analytically a very unusual and unexpected form of confinement in SU(3) Yang-Mills theory. This confinement occurs in the deconfined phase of the theory. The free energy of a single static test quark diverges, even though it is contained in deconfined bulk phase and there is no QCD string present. This phenomenon occurs in cylindrical volumes with a certain choice of spatial boundary conditions. We examine numerically an effective model for the Yang-Mills theory and, using a cluster algorithm, we observe this unusual confinement. We also find a new way to determine the interface tension of domain walls separating distinct bulk phases.

K. Holland · 1999