Phase diagram and thermodynamics of the PNJL model

QCD-based thermodynamics at zero and finite quark chemical potential is studied using an extended Nambu and Jona-Lasinio approach in which quarks couple simultaneously to the chiral condensate and to a background temporal gauge field representing Polyakov loop dynamics. This so-called PNJL model thus includes features of both deconfinement and chiral symmetry restoration. We discuss the phase diagram as it emerges from this approach in close comparison with results from lattice QCD thermodynamics. The critical point, separating crossover from first order phase transition, is investigated with special focus on its quark mass dependence, starting from the relatively large masses presently accessible by lattice simulations, down to the chiral limit.