Finite-temperature phase transition of Nf=3 QCD with exact center symmetry

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For the Z₃-symmetric lattice QCD-like theory (Z₃-QCD), in which SU(3) gauge theory is coupled with three fundamental Wilson quarks with flavor-dependent twisted boundary conditions, we calculate the expectation values of Polyakov loop and chiral condensate as functions of temperature on 16³ ×4 and 20³ × 4 lattices with mPS/mᵥ=0.70 fixed. We find the first-order phase transition with respect to the Z₃ center symmetry, where the Polyakov loop exhibits a hysteresis depending on the initial condition of thermalization process. We also show that the crossover behavior of chiral condensate around the critical temperature of the center transition and the manifestation of flavor symmetry breaking in the high-temperature phase.