It is shown that the endpoint of the first order transition line which merges into a crossover regime in the phase diagram of the Nambu--Jona-Lasinio model, extended to include the six-quark t Hooft and eight-quark interaction Lagrangians, is pushed towards vanishing chemical potential and higher temperatures with increasing strength of the OZI-violating eight-quark interactions. We clarify a connection between the location of the endpoint in the phase diagram and the mechanism of chiral symmetry breaking at the quark level. Constraints on the coupling strengths based on groundstate stability and physical considerations are explained.
Download