PHASE-TRANSITION BEHAVIOR OF THE CONTINUUM SU(2) GAUGE-THEORY AT FINITE TEMPERATURE

The effective systems corresponding to the infrared sector of the original continuum gauge theory are studied. The emphasis is on the phase-transition behavior. The effective potential is shown to display the features known in the Ginzburg-Landau theory. The phase transition depends on the value of the (renormalized) coupling constant. The numerical value of the critical coupling or the critical temperature is in agreement with lattice calculations. © 1990 The American Physical Society.