We show that the σ/f0(500) state with finite-temperature T corrections to its spectral properties included, plays an essential role for the description of the scalar susceptibility χS, signaling chiral symmetry restoration. First, we use the O(4) Linear Sigma Model as a testbed to derive the connection between χS and the σ propagator and to check the validity and reliability of the approach where χS is saturated by the σ/f0(500) inverse self-energy, which we calculate at finite T to one loop. A more accurate phenomenological description is achieved by considering the saturation approach as given by the thermal f0(500) state generated in Unitarized Chiral Perturbation Theory. Such approach allows to describe fairly well recent lattice data within the uncertainty range given by the UChPT parameters. Finally, we compare the UChPT saturated description with one based on the Hadron Resonance Gas, for which the hadron mass dependences are extracted from recent theoretical analysis. Several fits to lattice data are performed, which confirm the validity of the thermal f0(500) saturated approach and hence the importance of that thermal state for chiral symmetry restoration.

We analyze the contribution of the η (958) meson in the first two non-trivial moments of the QCD topological charge distribution, namely, the topological susceptibility and the fourth-order cumulant of the vacuum energy density. We perform our study within U(3) Chiral Perturbation Theory up to next-to-next-to-leading order in the combined chiral and large-Nc expansion. We also describe the temperature dependence of these two quantities and compare them with previous analyses in the literature. In particular, we discuss the validity of the thermal scaling of the topological susceptibility with the quark condensate, which is intimately connected with a Ward Identity relating both quantities. We also consider isospin breaking corrections from the vacuum misalignment at leading order in the U(3) framework.

We construct the most general low-energy effective lagrangian including local parity violating terms parametrized by an axial chemical potential or chiral imbalance µ 5 , up to O(p 4 ) order in the chiral expansion for two light flavours. For that purpose, we work within the Chiral Perturbation Theory framework where only pseudo-NGB fields are included, following the external source method. The O(p 2 ) lagrangian is only modified by constant terms, while the O(p 4 ) one includes new terms proportional to µ 2 5 and new lowenergy constants (LEC), which are renormalized and related to particular observables. In particular, we analyze the corrections to the pion dispersion relation and observables related to the vacuum energy density, namely the light quark condensate, the chiral and topological susceptibilities and the chiral charge density, providing numerical determinations of the new LEC when possible. In particular, we explore the dependence of the chiral restoration temperature T c with µ 5 . An increasing T c (µ 5 ) is consistent with our fits to lattice data of the ChPT-based expressions. Although lattice uncertainties are still large and translate into the new LEC determination, a consistent physical description of those observables emerges from our present work, providing a theoretically robust model-independent framework for further study of physical systems where parity-breaking effects may be relevant, such as heavy-ion collisions.

We use recently derived Ward identities and lattice data for the light- and strange-quark condensates to reconstruct the scalar and pseudoscalar susceptibilities ($$\chi _S^\kappa $$ χ S κ , $$\chi _P^K$$ χ P K ) in the isospin 1/2 channel. We show that $$\chi _S^\kappa $$ χ S κ develops a maximum above the QCD chiral transition, after which it degenerates with $$\chi _P^K$$ χ P K . We also obtain $$\chi _S^\kappa $$ χ S κ within Unitarized Chiral Perturbation Theory (UChPT) at finite temperature, when it is saturated with the $$K_0^*(700)$$ K 0 ∗ ( 700 ) (or $$\kappa $$ κ ) meson, the dominant lowest-energy state in the isospin 1/2 scalar channel of $$\pi K$$ π K scattering. Such UChPT result reproduces the expected peak structure, revealing the importance of thermal interactions, and makes it possible to examine the $$\chi _S^\kappa $$ χ S κ dependence on the light- and strange-quark masses. A consistent picture emerges controlled by the $$m_l/m_s$$ m l / m s ratio that allows one studying $$K-\kappa $$ K - κ degeneration in the chiral, two-flavor and SU(3) limits. These results provide an alternative sign for $$O(4)\times U(1)_A$$ O ( 4 ) × U ( 1 ) A restoration that can be explored in lattice simulations and highlight the role of strangeness, which regulated by the strange-quark condensate helps to reconcile the current tension among lattice results regarding $$U(1)_A$$ U ( 1 ) A restoration.

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