Thermal phase transition in Yang-Mills matrix model

Understand

We study the bosonic matrix model obtained as the high-temperature limit of two-dimensional maximally supersymmetric SU($N$) Yang-Mills theory.

• So far, no consensus about the order of the deconfinement transition in this theory has been reached and this hinders progress in understanding the nature of the black hole/black string topology change from the gauge/gravity duality perspective.
• On the one hand, previous works considered the deconfinement transition consistent with two transitions which are of second and third order.
• On the other hand, evidence for a first order transition was put forward more recently.