Field theoretic approach to unstable critical dynamics: Initial stage renormalization

The formalism of initial stage renormalization is constructed and used to study the spinodal decomposition of time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau models. Scaling relations of correlation functions are derived and new critical exponents describing the effects of initial order parameters and external fields are identified. At early stages, the structure function satisfies the usual dynamic scaling ansatz and exponents for characteristic length scales are nothing but the inverse of the dynamic critical exponent. Critical exponents and the structure function are calculated explicitly to first order in ϵ=d_c−d.     

An exactly soluble model with tricritical points for structural-phase transitions

We present and study a lattice-dynamical model whose static and dynamic properties can be described exactly for all dimensionsd≧3 (d an integer) and which, in addition, exhibits tricritical points. For certain model parameters, the tricritical behaviour is found to be identical to that of the spherical model. By changing the model parameters continuously however, the transition suddenly becomes of first order at a tricritical point (TCP). The order parameter and the susceptibility are given explicitly ford≧3. The tricritical exponents are Gaussian. The critical dynamics is also discussed.     

Diffusion in a random medium: A renormalization group approach

We investigate through a continuous random diffusion equation the long-distance properties of the general non-symmetric hopping model. The lower and upper critical dimensionalities are d = 1 and d = 2 respectively. A renormalization group analysis shows that the velocity and the diffusion constant obey scaling laws with non-classical exponents, which are computed to first order in ε = 2 ? d. Similar scaling laws, based on heuristic arguments, are conjectured for the AC conductivity.     

Analysis of the migdal transformation for models with Heisenberg spins on a d-dimensional lattice

We show for classical Heisenberg spins, with a general nearest neighbour interaction, that in the Migdal approximation the only low-temperature phase transitions are Ising ones (ferror antiferromagnetic). For d=2 neither the pure Heisenberg model nor the Lebwohl-Lasher model show a phase transition at a finite temperature. For d>2 transitions do exist at intermediate temperature and the complete flow diagram together with a two-parameter phase diagram is obtained numerically for d=3. Apart from critical temperatures and thermal exponents, also the magnetic exponents (for both Heisenberg and XY spins) are calculated. The latter are in very good agreement with exact results.     

Critical behaviour at the displacive limit of structural phase transitions

For a special critical point at zero temperature,T _c =0, which is called the displacive limit of a classical or of a quantum-mechanical model showing displacive phase transitions, we derive a set of static critical exponents in the large-n limit. Due to zero-point motions and quantum fluctuations at low temperatures, the exponents of the quantum model are different from those of the classical model. Moreover, we report results on scaling functions, corrections to scaling, and logarithmic factors which appear ford=2 in the classical case and ford=3 in the quantum-mechanical case. Zero-point motions cause a decrease of the critical temperature of the quantum model with respect to the classicalT _c , which implies a difference between the classical and the quantum displacive limit. However, finite critical temperatures are found in both cases ford>2, while critical fluctuations still occur atT _c =0 for 0<d≦2 in the classical case and for 1 <d≦2 in the quantum model. Further we derive the slope of the critical curve at the classical displacive limit exactly. The absence of 1/n-corrections to the exponents of the classical model is also discussed.     

Disordered magnet near the percolation threshold

A disordered Potts magnet containing a random mixture of ferromagnetic exchange constants J_a and J_b (J_a?J_b) near the percolation threshold is considered. The scaling form for the free energy contains two crossover exponents. Duality arguments in two dimensions show that these exponents are equal. They are also shown to be equal to unity in d = 6 ? ? dimensions to order ?.     

Critical exponents for one-dimensional percolation clusters

For d=1, percolation clusters follow a scaling law with critical exponents σ=1 and τ=2. For the limit d→1, critical exponents can differ from their d=1 values, a complication which can already be studied in the simple Bethe lattice solution for cluster numbers.     

Multicritical behaviour at surfaces

The critical behaviour of a semi-infiniten-vector model with a surface term (c/2) ∫d Sφ² is studied in 4-ε dimensions near the special transition. It is shown that all critical surface exponents derive from bulk exponents and η_∥, the anomalous dimension of the order parameter at the surface. The surface exponents and the crossover exponent Φ for the variablec are calculated to second order in ε. It is found that Φ does not satisfy the relation Φ=1-ν predicted by Bray and Moore. The order-parameter profilem(z)=<ø> is calculated to first order in ε. In contrast to mean-field theory,m(z) is not flat nor does it satisfy a Neumann boundary condition. General aspects of the field-theoretic renormalization program for systems with surfaces are discussed with particular attention paid to the explanation of the unfamiliar new features caused by the presence of surfaces.     

Mixed Spin-1/2 and Spin-5/2 Model by Renormalization Group Theory: Recursion Equations and Thermodynamic Study

Using the renormalization group approximation, specifically the Migdal-Kadanoff technique, we investigate the Blume-Capel model with mixed spins S = 1/2 and S = 5/2 on d-dimensional hypercubic lattice. The flow in the parameter space of the Hamiltonian and the thermodynamic functions are determined. The phase diagram of this model is plotted in the (anisotropy, temperature) plane for both cases d = 2 and d = 3 in which the system exhibits the first and second order phase transitions and critical end-points. The associated fixed points are drawn up in a table, and by linearizing the transformation at the vicinity of these points, we determine the critical exponents for d = 2 and d = 3. We have also presented a variation of the free energy derivative at the vicinity of the first and second order transitions. Finally, this work is completed by a discussion and comparison with other approximation.     

The critical exponents of the matrix-valued Gross-Neveu model

We study the large-N limit of the matrix-valued Gross-Neveu model in d > 2 dimensions. The method employed is a combination of the approximate recursion formula of Polyakov and Wilson with the solution to the zero-dimensional large-N counting problem of Makeenko and Zarembo. The model is found to have a phase transition at a finite value for the critical temperature and the critical exponents are approximated by ν = 1/(2(d − 2)) and η = d − 2. We test the validity of the approximation by applying it to the usual vector models where it is found to yield exact results to leading order in 1/N.     

Renormalisation group calculation of the critical exponents of the special transition in semi-infinite systems

Renormalisation group calculations of the correlation function exponents η^sp_⊥ and η^sp_∥ of the special transition in semi-infinite φ⁴ systems to second order in ?=4?d are presented.     

Thermodynamic properties of the φ4 lattice field theory near the Ising limit

For a d-dimensional φ⁴ lattice field theory consisting of N spins with nearest-neighbor interactions, the partition function is transformed for large bare coupling constant λ into an Ising-like system with additional neighbor interactions. For d = 2 a mean field approximation is then used to estimate the difference in critical temperature between the lattice φ⁴ field theory and its Ising limit (λ = ∞). Expansions are obtained for the susceptibility and specific heat. The critical exponents are shown to be identical to the Ising exponents.     

Lyapunov Exponents for Products of Complex Gaussian Random Matrices

The exact value of the Lyapunov exponents for the random matrix product P _N =A _N A _N?1?A ₁ with each $A_{i} = \varSigma^{1/2} G_{i}^{\mathrm{c}}$ , where Σ is a fixed d×d positive definite matrix and $G_{i}^{\mathrm{c}}$ a d×d complex Gaussian matrix with entries standard complex normals, are calculated. Also obtained is an exact expression for the sum of the Lyapunov exponents in both the complex and real cases, and the Lyapunov exponents for diffusing complex matrices.     

Scaling laws connecting tricritical and normal critical exponents for dimensionsd≦3

The method of Imry, Deutscher, Bergman and Alexander for deriving interdimensional scaling laws is used in a modified form to establish scaling relations between tricritical and normal critical exponents. These relations are expected to hold for dimensionsd≦ 3. The tricritical behaviour ford=3 andd>3 has previously been discussed by Wegner and Riedel and by the author.     

ε-expansion calculations for spin-glasses

The critical properties of the spin-glass transition proposed by Edwards and Anderson are studied using the minimal subtraction method. The universal ratio of the second correction to scaling amplitude to the square of the first for the order parameter susceptibility χ₀ is calculated to first order in ε(ε=6?d). Comparison is made with Fisch and Harris' high temperature series analysis which incorporated Rudnick-Nelson-type corrections to scaling. Within the same formalism the critical exponents are calculated to second order in ε. They agree with the first order ε expansion of Harris, Lubensky and Chen.     

Effective dimensionality of paramagnon problems between 3 and 2 dimensions

Classical exponents hold in describing nearly ferromagnetic fermion systems at 0 K, for dimensionalities 3 ? d 2     

On the upper critical dimension of Bernoulli percolation

We derive a set of inequalities for thed-dimensional independent percolation problem. Assuming the existence of critical exponents, these inequalities imply: $$\begin{gathered} f + v \geqq 1 + \beta _Q , \hfill \\ \mu + v \geqq 1 + \beta _Q , \hfill \\ \zeta \geqq \min \left\{ {1,\frac{{v^, }}{v}} \right\}, \hfill \\ \end{gathered} $$ where the above exponents aref: the flow constant exponent, ν(ν′): the correlation length exponent below (above) threshold, μ: the surface tension exponent, β _Q : the backbone density exponent and ζ: the chemical distance exponent. Note that all of these inequalities are mean-field bounds, and that they relate the exponentv defined from below the percolation threshold to exponents defined from above threshold. Furthermore, we combine the strategy of the proofs of these inequalities with notions of finite-size scaling to derive: $$\max \{ dv,dv^, \} \geqq 1 + \beta _Q ,$$ whered is the lattice dimension. Since β _Q ≧2β, where β is the percolation density exponent, the final bound implies that, below six dimensions, the standard order parameter and correlation length exponents cannot simultaneously assume their mean-field values; hence an implicit bound on the upper critical dimension:d _c ≧6.     

On the damage spreading in Ising spin glasses

The spreading of the Hamming distance or damage has been investigated for ±J Ising spin glasses under heat bath dynamics. Dimensions d = 2, 3, 4, 6 and mean field were studied. For finite dimensions, the damage goes to zero at long times above a temperature T_D(d). Accurate values of this critical temperature were obtained, together with certain critical exponents. The spin glass ordering temperatures T_g were also estimated from the damage spreading data. The results are compared with other work and discussed from a phase space approach.     

Magnets with random uniaxial anisotropy: Thermodynamic properties in the large-N limit

We show that the random-axis model lends itself to a systematic large-N calculation. The model shows different behavior below and above four dimensions. The equation of state is derived and discussed in terms of “Arrott” plots. Higher-order terms in the disorder, when summed, have a crucial effect on the susceptibility which is found to be finite below four dimensions (and above four dimensions for strong disorder). A spin-glass to paramagnetic phase transition is characterized by the vanishing of the Edwards-Anderson order parameter, which differs from zero in the spin-glass phase. A cusp in the specific-heat and susceptibility is seen across the transition. The cross-over exponent and other exponents of interest are calculated. Above four dimensions a third phase appears for weak disorder and low-temperature ferromagnetic in nature. The transverse and longitudinal susceptibilities are discussed. Whereas the ferromagnetic transition is characterized by mean-field exponents, the ferromagnetic to spin-glass exponents are equal to their counterparts in the non-random system in d ? 2 dimensions. This is shown to originate from an effective random field proportional to the EA order parameter. The flow equations in the large-N limit are also discussed.