In QCD with adjoint fermions, the deconfining transition takes place at a lower temperature than the chiral transition. We study the two transitions by use of the Polyakov loop, the monopole order parameter, and the chiral condensate. The deconfining transition is first order, the chiral is a crossover. The order parameters for confinement are not affected by the chiral transition. We conclude that the degrees of freedom relevant to confinement are different from those describing chiral symmetry.

• Received 18 February 2008

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.77.074506