QCD Coupling Constant at Finite Temperature ∗

We work out the method for evaluating the QCD coupling constant at finite temperature (T ) by making use of the finite T renormalization group equation up to the one-loop order on the basis of the background field method with the imaginary time formalism. The background field method, which maintains the explicit gauge invariance, provides notorious simplifications since one has to calculate only the renormalization constant of the background field gluon propagator. The results for the evolution of the QCD coupling constant at finite T reproduce partially the ones obtained in the literature. We discuss, in particular, the origin of the discrepancies between different calculations, such as the choice of gauge, the break-down of Lorentz invariance, imaginary versus real time formalism and the applicability of the Ward identities at finite T . ∗To appear in the Festschrift dedicated to Andrzej Bialas in honour of his 60th birthday, Acta Physica Polonica B27 (1996).