https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-021-09458-1
Regular Article - Theoretical Physics
The role of strangeness in chiral and 
restoration
1
Departamento de Física Teórica and IPARCOS, Universidad Complutense, 28040, Madrid, Spain
2
Albert Einstein Center for Fundamental Physics, Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
Received:
9
June
2021
Accepted:
12
July
2021
Published online:
21
July
2021
We use recently derived Ward identities and lattice data for the light- and strange-quark condensates to reconstruct the scalar and pseudoscalar susceptibilities (
, 
) in the isospin 1/2 channel. We show that develops a maximum above the QCD chiral transition, after which it degenerates with . We also obtain within Unitarized Chiral Perturbation Theory (UChPT) at finite temperature, when it is saturated with the 
(or 
) meson, the dominant lowest-energy state in the isospin 1/2 scalar channel of 
scattering. Such UChPT result reproduces the expected peak structure, revealing the importance of thermal interactions, and makes it possible to examine the dependence on the light- and strange-quark masses. A consistent picture emerges controlled by the 
ratio that allows one studying 
degeneration in the chiral, two-flavor and SU(3) limits. These results provide an alternative sign for 
restoration that can be explored in lattice simulations and highlight the role of strangeness, which regulated by the strange-quark condensate helps to reconcile the current tension among lattice results regarding restoration.
© The Author(s) 2021
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