Deconfining transition of SU(3) gauge theory on NT = 6 lattices

We report a Monte Carlo study of finite temperature SU(3) gauge theory simulated on the parallel computer QCDPAX. The study of the deconfining transition on Nt = 4 lattices, reported at the Lattice '90, is extended to the case of Nt = 6 using 203 x 6, 243 x 6 and 362 x 48 x 6 lattices. Clear two phase structure is observed on large lattices. The finite size scaling we found is consistent with a first-order pahse transition. The latent heat is estimated both by a direct measurement of the gap on large lattices and by applying a finite size scaling law. The two results are mutually consistent both on Nt = 4 and 6 lattices. We find that the latent heat for Nt = 6 is much smaller than the value previously obtained on a smaller lattice. (orig.)