From lattice QCD thermodynamics to an effective quasiparticle description of gluonic matter at finite temperature

Abstract

We develop a lattice-constrained quasiparticle description of pure SU(3) Yang--Mills matter at finite temperature. The temperature-dependent effective gluon quasiparticle mass is determined from the lattice entropy density over $0.70\leq T/T_c\leq5$. It is interpreted as an effective thermal parameter encoding medium modifications of gluonic excitations, rather than as a physical gluon mass. With this mass fixed, we reconstruct the background contribution required for thermodynamic consistency, using a single pressure-normalization condition. The resulting pressure, energy density, entropy density, interaction measure, and squared speed of sound are then compared with available lattice results. Near $T_c$, the rapid variation of the effective mass is accompanied by a pronounced maximum in the interaction measure at $T/T_c\simeq1.09$, a strong suppression of the squared speed of sound, and a maximum in the background contribution. These correlated features characterize the substantial departure from conformal behavior in the transition region. At higher temperatures, the interaction measure decreases and the squared speed of sound approaches the conformal limit. We also examine the energy-per-excitation ratio $E/n_g$, which has a minimum of approximately $964~\mathrm{MeV}$ at $T/T_c\simeq1.21$. This ratio provides a measure of the excitation scale within the quasiparticle description. Overall, our results show how lattice thermodynamics can be mapped onto an effective gluonic excitation spectrum while maintaining thermodynamic consistency.