QCD thermodynamics from 3-D adjoint Higgs model

The screening masses of hot SU(N) gauge theory, defined as poles of the corresponding propagators are studied in 3d adjoint Higgs model, considered as an effective theory of QCD, using coupled gap equations and lattice Monte-Carlo simulations (for N=2). Using so-called lambda gauges non-perturbative evidence for gauge independence of the pole masses within this class of gauges is given. A possible application of the screening masses for the resummation of the free energy is discussed.