The phase structure of the Polyakov–quark–meson model beyond mean field

The Polyakov-extended quark–meson model (PQM) is investigated beyond mean-field. This represents an important step towards a fully dynamical QCD computation. Both the quantum fluctuations to the matter sector and the back-reaction of the matter fluctuations to the QCD Yang–Mills sector are included. Results on the chiral and confinement–deconfinement crossover/phase transition lines and the location of a possible critical endpoint are presented. Moreover, thermodynamic quantities such as the pressure and the quark density are discussed.