The role of strangeness in chiral and [Formula: see text] restoration

We use recently derived Ward identities and lattice data for the light- and strange-quark condensates to reconstruct the scalar and pseudoscalar susceptibilities ([Formula: see text] , [Formula: see text] ) in the isospin 1/2 channel. We show that [Formula: see text] develops a maximum above the QCD chiral transition, after which it degenerates with [Formula: see text] . We also obtain [Formula: see text] within Unitarized Chiral Perturbation Theory (UChPT) at finite temperature, when it is saturated with the [Formula: see text] (or [Formula: see text] ) meson, the dominant lowest-energy state in the isospin 1/2 scalar channel of [Formula: see text] scattering. Such UChPT result reproduces the expected peak structure, revealing the importance of thermal interactions, and makes it possible to examine the [Formula: see text] dependence on the light- and strange-quark masses. A consistent picture emerges controlled by the [Formula: see text] ratio that allows one studying [Formula: see text] degeneration in the chiral, two-flavor and SU(3) limits. These results provide an alternative sign for [Formula: see text] restoration that can be explored in lattice simulations and highlight the role of strangeness, which regulated by the strange-quark condensate helps to reconcile the current tension among lattice results regarding [Formula: see text] restoration.