Statistical mechanics of instantons in quantum chromodynamics

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Abstract
We develop a field-theoretic method to investigate the statistical mechanics associated with the instanton-antiinstanton ensemble in Yang-Mills gauge theory. This consists in exact rewriting of the partition function in terms of collective fields and incorporation of short-range forces. In the framework of this effective field theory we clarify the meaning of the continuum medium approximation introduced recently by Callan, Dashen, and Gross. Furthermore, we present a direct treatment of the first-order liquid-gas phase transition which is ultimately responsible for bag creation in quantum chromodynamics.