Topological features of the deconfinement transition

The first order transition between the confining and the center symmetry breaking phases of the SU(3) Yang-Mills theory is marked by discontinuities in various thermodynamics functions, such as the energy density or the value of the Polyakov loop. We investigate the nonanalytical behavior of the topological susceptibility and its higher cumulant around the transition temperature and make the connection to the curvature of the phase diagram in the T - theta plane and to the latent heat.