Phase transitions in quark matter and behaviour of physical observables in the vicinity of the critical end point

We study the chiral phase transition at finite $T$ and $\mu_B$ within the framework of the SU(3) Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model. The QCD critical end point (CEP) and the critical line at finite temperature and baryonic chemical potential are investigated: the study of physical quantities, such as the baryon number susceptibility near the CEP, will provide complementary information concerning the order of the phase transition. We also analyze the information provided by the study of the critical exponents around the CEP.