Fundamental matter and the deconfining phase transition in 2+1 D

We analyze the effect of heavy fundamentally charged particles on the finite temperature deconfining phase transition in the (2+1)-dimensional Georgi–Glashow model. We show that in the presence of fundamental matter the transition turns into a crossover. The near critical theory is mapped onto the 2-dimensional Ising model in an external magnetic field. Using this mapping we determine the width of the crossover region as well as the specific heat as a function of the fundamental mass.