Universality driven analytic structure of QCD crossover

As a system is tuned away from a second-order phase transition into the crossover region, the critical point splits into a pair of complex conjugate singularities lying at complex values of the system parameters - the Yang-Lee edge (YLE) singularities. These singularities can be treated as ordinary critical points belonging to a specific universal class. For Quantum ChromoDynamics in the O(4) crossover regime, this translates into a critical point at complex values of the baryon chemical potential. In this seminar, I will tell you about the first study of these universal locations for the 3d O(N) universality classes using the functional renormalization group. I will discuss the relevance of the YLE for QCD and the search for the QCD critical point.

Zoom link will be sent separately.