https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-013-2706-1
Regular Article - Theoretical Physics
Net baryon number probability distribution near the chiral phase transition
1
Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, Ruth-Moufang-Str. 1, 60438 , Frankfurt am Main, Germany
2
Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
3
Physics Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, 11973, USA
4
Department of Physics, Western Michigan University, 1903 W. Michigan Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI, 49008, USA
5
GSI, Helmholzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Planckstr. 1, 64291 , Darmstadt, Germany
6
Institute of Theoretical Physics, University of Wroclaw, 50204 , Wrocław, Poland
7
Extreme Matter Institute EMMI, GSI, Planckstr. 1, 64291 , Darmstadt, Germany
* e-mail: morita@fias.uni-frankfurt.de
Received:
16
September
2013
Accepted:
12
December
2013
Published online:
23
January
2014
We discuss the properties of the net baryon number probability distribution near the chiral phase transition to explore the effect of critical fluctuations. Our studies are performed within Landau theory, where the coefficients of the polynomial potential are parametrized, so as to reproduce the mean-field (MF), the 
, and the 
scaling behaviors of the cumulants of the net baryon number. We show that in the critical region the structure of the probability distribution changes, depending on the values of the critical exponents. In the MF approach, as well as in the universality class, the contribution of the singular part of the thermodynamic potential tends to broaden the distribution. By contrast, in the model with scaling, the contribution of the singular part results in a narrower net baryon number probability distribution with a wide tail.
© The Author(s), 2014
