We have performed numerical simulations of SU(3) gauge theory coupled to $N_f=2$ flavors of symmetric-representation fermions. The fermions are discretized with the tadpole-improved clover action. Our simulations are done on lattices of length $L=6$, 8, and 12. In all simulation volumes we observe a crossover from a strongly coupled confined phase to a weak-coupling deconfined phase. Degeneracies in screening masses, plus the behavior of the pseudoscalar decay constant, indicate that the deconfined phase is also a phase in which chiral symmetry is restored. The movement of the confinement transition as the volume is changed is consistent with avoidance of the basin of attraction of an infrared fixed point of the massless theory.

• Received 15 December 2008

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.79.034501