Decompactification of space or time in large N QCD(2)

QCD(2) with fundamental quarks on a cylinder is solved to leading order in the 1/N expansion, including the zero mode gluons. As a result of the non-p erturbative dynamics of these gauge degrees of freedom, the compact space-t ime direction gets effectively decompactified. In a thermodynamic interpret ation, this implies that there is no pressure of order N and that the chira l condensate of order N is temperature independent. These findings are cons istent with confinement of quarks, rule out both chiral and deconfining pha se transitions in the finite temperature 't Hooft model, and help to resolv e some controversial issues in the literature. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B. V. All rights reserved.