Phase diagram of a generalized Stephanov model for finite-density QCD

We solve a random matrix model for QCD at finite chemical potential, obtained by generalizing the Stephanov model by modifying the random-matrix integration measure with a one-parameter trace deformation. This allows one to check how important the integration measure is for the qualitative features of random matrix models, as well as to test the robustness and universality of the qualitative picture of the original model. While for a small trace deformation the phase diagram is identical to that of the Stephanov model, for a large deformation an exotic phase with spontaneous charge-conjugation breaking appears. Published by the American Physical Society 2024