The phase boundary of lattice QCD for staggered fermions in the $\mu_B-T$ has been established via a dual representation in the strong coupling limit. Extending this phase boundary towards finite inverse gauge coupling is challenging. We present numerical simulations away from the strong coupling limit, taking into account the $O(\beta^2)$ corrections via plaquette occupation numbers. This allows to study the relation between the nuclear and chiral transition as a function of $\beta$.

Nonzero Temperature and Density