LATTICE ASYMMETRY IN FINITE-TEMPERATURE GLUODYNAMICS

The role of the lattice asymmetry parameter xi in the phase structure description of SU(2) and SU(3) gluodynamics at finite temperature in t he SU(N) similar or equal to Z(N) approach has been studied analytical ly. The properties of thermodynamic quantities have been investigated near the physical border. The effective action which includes the firs t nontrivial order from the spacelike part allows estimates to be made of the phase structure not only close to the physical border but in t he whole area of couplings. We find that thermodynamic quantities depe nd on xi and this dependence may be strong enough, up to discontinuity over this parameter for some of them. [S0556-2821(97)04323-3].