Phase structure of 3D Z(N)Z(N) lattice gauge theories at finite temperature: Large-N and continuum limits

We study numerically three-dimensional Z(N)Z(N) lattice gauge theories at finite temperature, for N=5,6,8,12,13 and 20N=5,6,8,12,13 and 20 on lattices with temporal extension Nt=2,4,8Nt=2,4,8. For each model, we locate phase transition points and determine critical indices. We propose also the scaling of critical points with N  . The data obtained enable us to verify the scaling near the continuum limit for the Z(N)Z(N) models at finite temperatures.