The Lattice Free Energy of QCD with Clover Fermions, up to Three-Loops

We calculate the perturbative value of the free energy in Lattice QCD, up to three loops. Our calculation is performed using Wilson gluons and the Sheikholeslami - Wolhert (clover) improved action for fermions. The free energy is directly related to the average plaquette. To carry out the calculation, we compute all relevant Feynman diagrams up to 3 loops, using a set of automated procedures in Mathematica; numerical evaluation of the resulting loop integrals is performed on finite lattice, with subsequent extrapolation to infinite size. The results are presented as a function of the fermion mass m, for any SU(N_c) gauge group, and for an arbitrary number of fermion flavors. In order to enable independent comparisons, we also provide the results on a per diagram basis, for a specific mass value.