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Dirac mode localization in QCD near the crossover temperature

Matteo Giordano1,*, Tamás G. Kovács1,2,†, and Ferenc Pittler3,‡

  • *Contact author: giordano@bodri.elte.hu
  • †Contact author: tamas.gyorgy.kovacs@ttk.elte.hu
  • ‡Contact author: f.pittler@cyi.ac.cy
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Phys. Rev. D 113, 114514 – Published 11 June, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/tttq-mvpc

Abstract

We study the localization properties of the low-lying Dirac eigenmodes in QCD near the crossover temperature, using stout-smeared staggered fermions and Symanzik-improved gauge action on the lattice. On Nt=8 lattices we find that localized low modes, absent at low temperature, appear at a temperature Tloc in the range 150  MeV≤Tloc≤160  MeV, well within the chiral crossover range as determined from the chiral condensate and from the light-quark susceptibility. Since with our choice of lattice action neither the chiral transition region nor the renormalized mobility edges change significantly above Nt=8, our conclusion that Tloc is in the chiral crossover region is expected to remain valid in the continuum limit.

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Phys. Rev. D 113, 114514– Published 11 June, 2026
  • Received 20 February 2026
  • Accepted 13 May 2026
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