ar X iv : 0 81 1 . 45 43 v 1 [ he p - ph ] 2 7 N ov 2 00 8 Aspects of the phase diagram in ( P ) NJL - like models

We discuss three applications of NJLand PNJL-like models to assess aspects of the QCD phase diagram: First, we study the effect of mesonic correlations on the pressure below and above the finite temperature phase transition within a nonlocal PNJL model beyond the mean-field approximation. Second, we reconstruct the phase boundary of an NJL model from a Taylor expansion of the chiral susceptibility about μ = 0 and compare the result with the exact phase boundary. Finally, we demonstrate the realization of the “non-standard scenario” for the critical surface in a three-flavor PNJL model with a μ-dependent determinant interaction.