Lattice Determination of the Baryon Junction Mass in $(2+1)$ Dimensions

This contribution investigates baryonic flux tube configurations in $SU(3)$ Yang--Mills theory in $(2+1)$ dimensions. Leveraging recent next-to-leading-order results within the Effective String Theory (EST) framework, which explicitly include corrections proportional to the baryon junction mass $M$ up to order $1/R^2$, we carry out a non-perturbative determination of this parameter, through high-precision simulations of the three-point Polyakov-loop in the open string channel. In addition, the high-temperature regime of the baryonic system is examined in order to test the Svetitsky--Yaffe conjecture. Close to the deconfinement transition, the lattice results for the correlators show close agreement with the predictions of the two-dimensional three-state Potts model.