Abstract

In this paper the Gribov gap equation at finite temperature is analyzed. The solutions of the gap equation (which depend explicitly on the temperature) determine the structure of the gluon propagator within the semi-classical Gribov approach. The present analysis is consistent with the standard confinement scenario for low temperatures, while for high enough temperatures, deconfinement takes place and a free gluon propagator is obtained. An intermediate regime in between the confined and free phases can be read off from the resulting gluon propagator, which appears to be closely related to partial deconfinement.