DIMENSIONAL REDUCTION AND SCREENING MASSES IN PURE GAUGE-THEORIES AT FINITE-TEMPERATURE

We studied screening masses in the equilibrium thermodynamics of SU(2) and SU(3) pure gauge theories on the lattice. At a temperature of 2T( c) we found strong evidence for dimensional reduction in the non-pertu rbative spectrum of screening masses. Mass ratios in the high-temperat ure SU(3) theory are consistent with those in the pure gauge theory in three dimensions. At the first-order SU(3) phase transition we report the first measurement of the true scalar screening mass. (C) 1998 Els evier Science B.V.