Rotational symmetry of the SU(3) potential

We study the restoration of rotational symmetry of the heavy quark potential obtained from elongated planar and off-axis Wilson loops measured on a 164 lattice at β=5.4 and 5.7. While the rotational symmetry is still distorted at β=5.4 the potential is consistent with rotational symmetry at β=5.7. If we were in the asymptotic scaling region the linear slope would correspond at β=5.7 to a string tension Λsub(L)/√sigma=0.0074+-0.0002. (orig.)