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QCD equation of state at very high temperature: Computational strategy, simulations, and data analysis

Matteo Bresciani1, Mattia Dalla Brida2,3, Leonardo Giusti2,3, and Michele Pepe3

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Phys. Rev. D 113, 034506 – Published 23 February, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/jl9n-lk9k

Abstract

We present a detailed account of the theoretical progress and the computational strategy that led to the nonperturbative determination of the QCD equation of state at temperatures up to the electroweak scale reported in Phys. Rev. Lett. 134, 201904 (2025). The two key ingredients that make such a calculation feasible with controlled uncertainties are (i) the definition of lines of constant physics through the running of a nonperturbatively defined finite-volume coupling across a wide range of energy scales, and (ii) the use of shifted boundary conditions which allow a direct determination of the entropy density thus without the need for a zero-temperature subtraction. Considering the case of QCD with Nf=3 massless flavors in the temperature interval between 3 and 165 GeV, we describe the numerical strategy based on integrating in the bare coupling and quark mass, the perturbative improvement of lattice observables, the optimization of numerical simulations, and the continuum extrapolation. Extensive consistency checks, including finite volume and topology freezing effects, confirm the robustness of the method. The final results have a relative accuracy of about 1% or better, and the errors are dominated by the statistical fluctuations of the Monte Carlo ensembles. We also compare our nonperturbative results with predictions from standard and hard thermal loop perturbation theory showing that at the level of %-precision contributions beyond those known, including nonperturbative ones due to ultrasoft modes, are relevant up to the highest temperatures explored. The methodological framework is general and readily applicable to QCD with four and five massive quark flavors and to other thermal observables, paving the way for systematic nonperturbative studies of thermal QCD at very high temperatures.

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Phys. Rev. D 113, 034506– Published 23 February, 2026
  • Received 25 November 2025
  • Accepted 22 January 2026
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI. Funded by SCOAP3.

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