QCD phase diagram in a constant magnetic background. Inverse magnetic catalysis: where models meet the lattice

Abstract

Magnetic catalysis is the enhancement of a condensate due to the presence of an external magnetic field. Magnetic catalysis at $T=0$ is a robust phenomenon in low-energy theories and models of QCD as well as in lattice simulations. We review the underlying physics of magnetic catalysis from both perspectives. The quark-meson model is used as a specific example of a model that exhibits magnetic catalysis. Regularization and renormalization are discussed and we pay particular attention to a consistent and correct determination of the parameters of the Lagrangian using the on-shell renormalization scheme. A straightforward application of the quark-meson model and the NJL model leads to the prediction that the chiral transition temperature $T_χ$ is increasing as a function of the magnetic field $B$. This is in disagreement with lattice results, which show that $T_χ$ is a decreasing function of $B$, independent of the pion mass. The behavior can be understood in terms of the so-called valence and sea contributions to the quark condensate and the competition between them. We critically examine these ideas as well recent attempts to improve low-energy models using lattice input.