Scalar-pseudoscalar meson spectrum in SU(3) PNJL model

We investigate the modifications of mesonic properties in a hot medium having in mind to use the mesonic modes as a tool to analyze the restoration of chiral and axial symmetries in the context of the SU(3) Polyakov--Nambu--Jona-Lasinio (PNJL) model. The results lead to the conclusion that the effects of the Polyakov loop are fundamental for reproducing lattice findings. It is found that the restoration of chiral symmetry in the PNJL model occurs in a small range of temperature (smaller that in the Nambu--Jona-Lasinio (NJL)), and the topological susceptibility reproduces well the lattice results around $T/T_c^\chi\approx 1.0$.