Evidence for a first-order deconfinement transition in large-N gauge theory

We study N=z lattice gauge theory at finite temperature by Monte Carlo methods using an asymmetric coupling version of the twisted Equchi-Kawai model. The data favor a first-order deconfining transition, and are consistent with asymptotic freedom for N=64 and 81. The deconfinement temperature in physical units is close to the value for N=3.