String effects and the distribution of the glue in static mesons at finite temperature

The distribution of the gluon action density in mesonic systems is investigated at finite temperature. The simulations are performed in quenched QCD for two temperatures below the deconfinement phase. Unlike the gluonic profiles displayed at T = 0, the action-density isosurfaces display a prolate-spheroid-like shape. The curved width profile of the flux tube is found to be consistent with the prediction of the free bosonic string model at large distances.