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Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 592–595 (2001)

QCD at Finite Isospin Density

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D. T. Son1,3 and M. A. Stephanov2,3
1Physics Department, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027
2Department of Physics, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois 60607-7059
3RIKEN-BNL Research Center, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973

Received 31 May 2000; published in the issue dated 22 January 2001

QCD at finite isospin chemical potential μI has no fermion sign problem and can be studied on the lattice. We solve this theory analytically in two limits: at low μI, where chiral perturbation theory is applicable, and at asymptotically high μI, where perturbative QCD works. At low isospin density the ground state is a pion condensate, whereas at high density it is a Fermi liquid with Cooper pairing. The pairs carry the same quantum numbers as the pion. This leads us to conjecture that the transition from hadron to quark matter is smooth, which passes several tests. Our results imply a nontrivial phase diagram in the space of temperature and chemical potentials of isospin and baryon number.

© 2001 The American Physical Society

URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.86.592
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevLett.86.592
PACS:
12.38.Aw, 03.75.Fi, 11.30.Rd, 12.38.Mh