Dynamics of selfavoiding tethered membranes. II. Inclusion of hydrodynamic interaction (Zimm model)

The dynamical scaling properties of selfavoiding polymerized membranes with internal dimension D embedded into d dimensions are studied including hydrodynamical interactions. It is shown that the theory is renormalizable to all orders in perturbation theory and that the dynamical scaling exponent z is given by z=d. The crossover to the region, where the membrane is crumpled swollen but the hydrodynamic interaction irrelevant is discussed. The results apply as well to polymers (D=1) as to membranes (D=2). Received: 5 September 1997 / Accepted: 17 November 1997     

Dynamics of polymeric manifolds in melts: the Hartree approximation

The Martin-Siggia-Rose functional technique and the selfconsistent Hartree approximation is applied to the dynamics of a D-dimensional manifold in a melt of similar manifolds. The generalized Rouse equation is derived and its static and dynamic properties are studied. The static upper critical dimension, d _uc =2D/(2-D), discriminates between Gaussian (or screened) and non-Gaussian regimes, whereas its dynamical counterpart, , discriminates between Rouse- and renormalized-Rouse behavior. The Rouse modes correlation function in a stretched exponential form and the dynamical exponents are calculated explicitly. The special case of linear chains D=1 shows agreement with Monte-Carlo simulations. Received: 22 May 1998 / Received in final form: 31 August 1998 / Accepted: 8 September 1998     

Effect of hydrodynamic flow on kinetics of nematic-isotropic transition in liquid crystals

We investigate kinetics of nematic-isotropic transition by solving the hydrodynamic equations for the nematic tensor order parameter and the fluid velocity in two space dimension (x-y plane). Numerical results indicate that nematic directors tend to align parallel to the x-y plane when hydrodynamic flow is incorporated. Late stage growth exponents, for the correlation length and for the number of topological defects, are not significantly altered by hydrodynamic flow. However, in contrast to the case without flow, the relation holds well, which may indicate the validity of dynamical scaling for the case with hydrodynamic flow. Received: 8 September 1997 / Received in final form: 23 October 1997 /Accepted: 3 November 1997     

A geometric generalization of field theory to manifolds of arbitrary dimension

We introduce a generalization of the O(N) field theory to N-colored membranes of arbitrary inner dimension D. The O(N) model is obtained for , while leads to self-avoiding tethered membranes (as the O(N) model reduces to self-avoiding polymers). The model is studied perturbatively by a 1-loop renormalization group analysis, and exactly as .Freedom to choose the expansion point D, leads to precise estimates of critical exponents of the O(N) model. Insights gained from this generalization include a conjecture on the nature of droplets dominating the 3d-Ising model at criticality; and the fixed point governing the random bond Ising model. Received: 15 October 1998 / Accepted: 4 November 1998     

Born effective charge reversal and metallic threshold state at a band insulator-Mott insulator transition

We study the quantum phase transition between a band (“ionic”) insulator and a Mott-Hubbard insulator, realized at a critical value in a bipartite Hubbard model with two inequivalent sites, whose on-site energies differ by an offset . The study is carried out both in D=1 and D=2 (square and honeycomb lattices), using exact Lanczos diagonalization, finite-size scaling, and Berry's phase calculations of the polarization. The Born effective charge jump from positive infinity to negative infinity previously discovered in D=1 by Resta and Sorella is confirmed to be directly connected with the transition from the band insulator to the Mott insulating state, in agreement with recent work of Ortiz et al. In addition, symmetry is analysed, and the transition is found to be associated with a reversal of inversion symmetry in the ground state, of magnetic origin. We also study the D=1 excitation spectrum by Lanczos diagonalization and finite-size scaling. Not only the spin gap closes at the transition, consistent with the magnetic nature of the Mott state, but also the charge gap closes, so that the intermediate state between the two insulators appears to be metallic. This finding, rationalized within Hartree-Fock as due to a sign change of the effective on-site energy offset for the minority spin electrons, underlines the profound difference between the two insulators. The band-to-Mott insulator transition is also studied and found in the same model in D=2. There too we find an associated, although weaker, polarization anomaly, with some differences between square and honeycomb lattices. The honeycomb lattice, which does not possess an inversion symmetry, is used to demonstrate the possibility of an inverted piezoelectric effect in this kind of ionic Mott insulator. Received 21 May 1999     

Quantum rotors with regular frustration and the quantum Lifshitz point

We have discussed the zero-temperature quantum phase transition in n-component quantum rotor Hamiltonian in the presence of regular frustration in the interaction. The phase diagram consists of ferromagnetic, helical and quantum paramagnetic phase, where the ferro-para and the helical-para phase boundary meets at a multicritical point called a (d,m) quantum Lifshitz point where (d,m) indicates that the m of the d spatial dimensions incorporate frustration. We have studied the Hamiltonian in the vicinity of the quantum Lifshitz point in the spherical limit and also studied the renormalisation group flow behaviour using standard momentum space renormalisation technique (for finite n). In the spherical limit ()one finds that the helical phase does not exist in the presence of any nonvanishing quantum fluctuation for m =d though the quantum Lifshitz point exists for all d > 1+m/2, and the upper critical dimensionality is given by d _u = 3 +m/2. The scaling behaviour in the neighbourhood of a quantum Lifshitz point in d dimensions is consistent with the behaviour near the classical Lifshitz point in (d+z) dimensions. The dynamical exponent of the quantum Hamiltonian z is unity in the case of anisotropic Lifshitz point (d>m) whereas z=2 in the case of isotropic Lifshitz point (d=m). We have evaluated all the exponents using the renormalisation flow equations along-with the scaling relations near the quantum Lifshitz point. We have also obtained the exponents in the spherical limit (). It has also been shown that the exponents in the spherical model are all related to those of the corresponding Gaussian model by Fisher renormalisation. Received: 23 December 1997 / Received in final form: 6 January 1998 / Accepted: 7 January 1998     

Dynamical properties of low-dimensional and spin-Peierls systems

Properties of low-dimensional spin-Peierls systems are described by using a one-dimensional S =1/2 antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chain linearly coupled to a single phonon mode of wave vector (whose contribution is expected to be dominant). By exact diagonalizations of small rings with up to 24 sites supplemented by a finite size scaling analysis, static and dynamical properties are investigated. Numerical evidences are given for a spontaneous discrete symmetry breaking towards a spin gapped phase with a frozen lattice dimerization. Special emphasis is put on the comparative study of the two inorganic spin-Peierls compounds CuGeO₃ and NaV₂O₅ and the model parameters are determined from a fit of the experimental spin gaps. We predict that the spin-phonon coupling is 2 or 3 times larger in NaV₂O₅ than in CuGeO₃. Inelastic neutron scattering spectra are calculated and similar results are found in the single phonon mode approximation and in the model including a static dimerization. In particular, the magnon S =1 branch is clearly separated from the continuum of triplet excitations by a finite gap. Received: 30 July 1997 / Revised: 16 September 1997 / Accepted: 10 October 1997     

Numerical diagonalization analysis of the ground-state superfluid-localization transition in two dimensions

Ground state of the two-dimensional hard-core-boson system in the presence of the quenched random chemical potential is investigated by means of the exact-diagonalization method for the system sizes up to L=5. The criticality and the DC conductivity at the superfluid-localization transition have been controversial so far. We estimate, with the finite-size scaling analysis, the correlation-length and the dynamical critical exponents as and z=2, respectively. The AC conductivity is computed with the Gagliano-Balseiro formula, with which the resolvent (dynamical response function) is expressed in terms of the continued-fraction form consisting of Lanczos tri-diagonal elements. Thereby, we estimate the universal DC conductivity as . Received 19 August 1998     

Disorder driven roughening transitions of elastic manifolds and periodic elastic media

The simultaneous effect of both disorder and crystal-lattice pinning on the equilibrium behavior of oriented elastic objects is studied using scaling arguments and a functional renormalization group technique. Our analysis applies to elastic manifolds, e.g., interfaces, as well as to periodic elastic media, e.g., charge-density waves or flux-line lattices. The competition between both pinning mechanisms leads to a continuous, disorder driven roughening transition between a flat state where the mean relative displacement saturates on large scales and a rough state with diverging relative displacement. The transition can be approached by changing the impurity concentration or, indirectly, by tuning the temperature since the pinning strengths of the random and crystal potential have in general a different temperature dependence. For D dimensional elastic manifolds interacting with either random-field or random-bond disorder a transition exists for 2<D<4, and the critical exponents are obtained to lowest order in . At the transition, the manifolds show a superuniversal logarithmic roughness. Dipolar interactions render lattice effects relevant also in the physical case of D=2. For periodic elastic media, a roughening transition exists only if the ratio p of the periodicities of the medium and the crystal lattice exceeds the critical value . For p<p _c the medium is always flat. Critical exponents are calculated in a double expansion in and and fulfill the scaling relations of random field models. Received 28 August 1998     

Perturbative renormalization of multi-channel Kondo-type models

The poor man's scaling is extended to higher order by the use of the open-shell Rayleigh-Schr?dinger perturbation theory. A generalized Kondo-type model with the SU(n)SU(m) symmetry is proposed and renormalized to the third order. It is shown that the model has both local Fermi-liquid and non-Fermi-liquid fixed points, and that the latter becomes unstable in the special case of n=m=2. Possible relevance of the model to the newly found phase IV in Ce_xLa_1-xB₆ is discussed. Received: 24 February 1998 / Accepted: 17 April 1998     

Sensitivity to initial conditions in the Bak-Sneppen model of biological evolution

We consider biological evolution as described within the Bak and Sneppen 1993 model. We exhibit, at the self-organized critical state, a power-law sensitivity to the initial conditions, calculate the associated exponent, and relate it to the recently introduced nonextensive thermostatistics. The scenario which here emerges without tuning strongly reminds of that of the tuned onset of chaos in say logistic-like one-dimensional maps. We also calculate the dynamical exponent z. Received: 5 November 1997 / Received in final form: 11 November 1997 / Accepted: 19 November 1997     

Uniform susceptibility of classical antiferromagnets in one and two dimensions in a magnetic field

We simulated the field-dependent magnetization m(H,T) and the uniform susceptibility of classical Heisenberg antiferromagnets in the chain and square-lattice geometry using Monte Carlo methods. The results confirm the singular behavior of at small T,H: and , where D=3 is the number of spin components, J ₀=zJ, and z is the number of nearest neighbors. A good agreement is achieved in a wide range of temperatures T and magnetic fields H with the first-order 1/D expansion results (D.A. Garanin, J. Stat. Phys. 83, 907 (1996)). Received 20 March 2000     

Nuclear fusion in charge-asymmetric muonic molecules

Nuclear fusion reactions in hydrogen-lithium muonic molecules, (where h=p,d,t) are considered and fusion rates from rotational states J=0 of the molecules are presented. Results obtained depend on the isotopic composition of the molecules and range between and . The upper limit for fusion rates from rotational states J=0 of hydrogen-helium muonic molecules, and , equal , is also found. Received: 4 December 1997 / Revised: 30 April 1998 / Accepted: 7 May 1998     

Dynamical Critical Exponent for the Majority-Vote Model

We investigate the dynamical behavior of the isotropic majority-vote model on a square lattice using a combination of damage spreading and finite-size scaling methods. For initial damage D(0)1/2, the dynamical phase diagram exhibits a chaotic-frozen phase transition at a critical noise parameter q _c =0.0818±0.0002, while for D(0)1/2 the damage does not propagate for any value of the model's parameter 0q<1/2. From simulations at q _c , we find that the dynamical critical exponent is z=0.65±0.05.     

Topology invariance in percolation thresholds

An universal invariant for site and bond percolation thresholds ( and respectively) is proposed. The invariant writes where and are positive constants, and d the space dimension. It is independent of the coordination number, thus exhibiting a topology invariance at any d. The formula is checked against a large class of percolation problems, including percolation in non-Bravais lattices and in aperiodic lattices as well as rigid percolation. The invariant is satisfied within a relative error of for all the twenty lattices of our sample at d=2, d=3, plus all hypercubes up to d=6. Received: 7 July 1997 / Accepted: 5 November 1997     

Melting transition of a network model in two dimensions

The freezing transition of a network model for tensionless membranes confined to two dimensions is investigated by Monte Carlo simulations and scaling arguments. In this model, a freezing transition is induced by reducing the tether length. Translational and bond-orientational order parameters and elastic constants are determined as a function of the tether length. A finite-size scaling analysis is used to show that the crystal melts via successive dislocation and disclination unbinding transitions, in qualitative agreement with the predictions of the Kosterlitz-Thouless-Halperin-Nelson-Young theory. The hexatic phase is found to be stable over only a very small interval of tether lengths. Received 4 June 1999 and Revised in final form 1 September 1999     

Monte-Carlo study of correlations in quantum spin chains at non-zero temperature

Antiferromagnetic Heisenberg spin chains with various spin values (S=1/2,1,3/2,2,5/2) are studied numerically with the quantum Monte-Carlo method. Effective spin S chains are realized by ferromagnetically coupling n=2S antiferromagnetic spin chains with S=1/2. The temperature dependence of the uniform susceptibility, the staggered susceptibility, and the static structure factor peak intensity are computed down to very low temperatures, . The correlation length at each temperature is deduced from numerical measurements of the instantaneous spin-spin correlation function. At high temperatures, very good agreement with exact results for the classical spin chain is obtained independent of the value of S. For the S=2 chain which has a gap , the correlation length and the uniform susceptibility in the temperature range are well predicted by the semi-classical theory of Damle and Sachdev. Received: 23 December 1997 / Revised and Accepted: 11 March 1998