Updates on the QCD phase diagram from lattice

Abstract

Abstract Different aspects of the phase diagram of strongly interacting matter described by quantum chromodynamics (QCD), which have emerged from the recent studies using lattice gauge theory techniques, are discussed. A special emphasis is given on understanding the role of the anomalous axial U(1) symmetry in determining the order of the finite temperature chiral phase transition in QCD with two massless quark flavors and tracing its origin to the topological properties of the QCD vacuum.