{
  "abstract": "A precise characterization of the QCD phase transition remains a fundamental open problem, primarily due to the intrinsically non-perturbative nature of the dynamics that govern the breakdown of We quantify the logarithmic thermal variation of the normalized enthalpy density in finite-temperature Quantum Chromodynamics using a dimensionless response thermal function, $\\mathcal{H}(T)$. We establish an exact identity that links $\\mathcal{H}(T)$ to the speed of sound, $c_s^2(T)$. Using continuum-extrapolated lattice Quantum Chromodynamics, Monte Carlo uncertainty propagation, and cubic spline interpolation, we extract a stable peak at $T_{\\text{peak}} \\approx 153.6\\text{ MeV}$ ($\\mathcal{H}_{\\text{peak}} \\approx 6.24$), which remains robust under changes in the smoothing parameter $s$. By contrast, $\\mathcal{H}(T) = 0$ for the MIT Bag Model despite its non-vanishing trace anomaly. We highlight $\\mathcal{H}(T)$ as an effective diagnostic of the QCD crossover and discuss its limitations for universal critical scaling at zero chemical potential.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2608.02649",
  "author_total": 1,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "S. D. Campos"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/59ey17c7ajk9t.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2608.02649",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "59ey17c7ajk9t",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.02649",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "hep-lat"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "hep-ph"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "hep-th"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "3106|High-Energy Particle Collisions Research"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7172537302",
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2608.02649",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-07",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/59ey17c7ajk9t.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:19:48Z",
      "native_id": "2608.02649",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.02649"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:hep-lat",
      "subfield": "high-energy"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Enthalpy-Based Thermal Response and Its Exact Relation to the Speed of Sound in Finite-Temperature QCD",
  "title_text": "Enthalpy-Based Thermal Response and Its Exact Relation to the Speed of Sound in Finite-Temperature QCD",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:19:48Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/59ey17c7ajk9t",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}