We investigate, by numerical lattice simulations, the static quark-antiquark potential, the flux tube properties and the chiral condensate for $N_f = 2+1$ QCD with physical quark masses in the presence of strong magnetic fields, going up to $eB = 9$
GeV$^2$, with continuum extrapolated results. The string tension for quark-antiquark separations longitudinal to the magnetic field is suppressed by one order of magnitude at the largest explored magnetic field with respect to its value at zero magnetic background, but is still non-vanishing; in the transverse direction, instead, the string tension is enhanced but seems to reach a saturation at around 50 % of its value at $B = 0$. The flux tube shows a consistent suppression/enhancement of the overall amplitude, with mild modifications of its profile. Finally, we observe magnetic catalysis in the whole range of explored fields with a behavior compatible with a lowest Landau level approximation, in particular with a linear dependence of the chiral condensate on $B$ which is in agreement, within errors, with that already observed for $eB sim 1$ GeV$^2$.
We study the electromagnetic (e.m.) conductivity of QGP in a magnetic background by lattice simulations with $N_f = 2+1$ dynamical rooted staggered fermions at the physical point. We study the correlation functions of the e.m.~currents at $T=200,,250
$,MeV and use the Tikhonov approach to extract the conductivity. This is found to rise with the magnetic field in the direction parallel to it and to decrease in the transverse direction, giving evidence for both the Chiral Magnetic Effect and the magnetoresistance phenomenon in QGP. We also estimate the chiral charge relaxation time in QGP.
