Stability of the Haldane state against the antiferromagnetic-bond randomness

Ground-state phase diagram of the one-dimensional bond-random S=1 Heisenberg antiferromagnet is investigated by means of the loop-cluster-update quantum Monte-Carlo method. The random couplings are drawn from a rectangular uniform distribution. We found that even in the case of extremely broad bond distribution, the magnetic correlation decays exponentially, and the correlation length is hardly changed; namely, the Haldane phase continues to be realized. This result is accordant with that of the exact-diagonalization study, whereas it might contradict the conclusion of an analytic theory founded in a power-law bond distribution instead. The latter theory predicts that a second-order phase transition occurs at a certain critical randomness, and the correlation length diverges for sufficiently strong randomness. Received: 31 March 1998 / Revised and Accepted: 7 July 1998     

On the tricritical point on the (p,T)-phase diagram of Sn2P2S6 crystals

Using studies of the temperature dependence of the acoustic wave velocity at high hydrostatic pressures, a tricritical point where second-order phase transitions change to first-order ones was experimentally revealed on the pressure–temperature phase diagram of Sn₂P₂S₆ crystals. The behavior of the acoustic wave velocity is explained in the framework of mean-field theory.     

Magnetic field effects on a classical anisotropic spin-glass model

The simple model of a classical spin-glass proposed by van Hemmen [1] is extended to the case of a generalS Ising spin and anisotropy energy. Due to its simplicity, the model is amenable to an exact solution and in the case of spin-1 the phase diagram is similar to that of the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick model. ForS=1 and for certain values of the anisotropy the phase diagram in the (H-T) plane shows continuous and discontinuous transitions, a critical point within the condensed phase, and a field-induced mixed phase in addition to the paramagnetic and spin-glass phases.Work partially supported by CNPq and FINEP (Brazilian Agencies). Part of this work was presented at the International Conference of Magnetism, San Francisco, 1985     

The kinetic spin-1 Blume-Capel model with Glauber dynamic

We study the dynamic phase transitions (DPT), within a mean-field approach, in the kinetic spin-1 Blume-Capel model by using the Glauber-type stochastic dynamics. The nature of the transition is characterized by investigating the behavior of the thermal variation of the dynamic order parameter and the Lyapunov exponent. The phase diagram is constructed in the temperatures (T) and single-ion anisotropy amplitude (D) plane. Our results predict first-order transitions at low temperature and large anisotropy strengths, which correspond in the phase diagram to the existence of a nonequilibrium tricritical point (TCP). We compare our results with the equilibrium phase diagram.     

Effects of pair correlation on mean-field theory of BTW sand pile model

We extend the mean-field calculation of BTW sand pile model to one that includes the correlation between pairs of nearest neighbors. Specifically, we derive dynamical equations of both one-site and two-site densities, and solve the equations order by order starting with the mean-field solution. The investigation provides analytical results for both stationary and dynamic states of the sand pile near the critical point, which are valid in the regime where h?ε²?1 (h= incoming rate of sand grains, ε=bulk dissipation rate of sand grains). In the stationary case, we evaluate the pair correlation and the correction to the mean-field single-site densities due to the correlation. The correction is found to be of the same order as the mean-field solution. In the dynamic case, the initial state deviates from the stationary state by a small fluctuation, which subsequently decays exponentially, with the time constant being reduced from the corresponding mean-field value. Again, the correction to the time constant in this case is found comparable to the mean-field value itself.     

Melt brushes of diblock copolymer

Using self-consistent field theory (SCFT), we investigate the morphologies formed by a melt brush of AB diblock copolymers grafted to a flat substrate by their B ends. In addition to a laterally uniform morphology, SCFT predicts three ordered morphologies exhibiting different periodic patterns at the air surface: a hexagonal array of A-rich dots, an alternating sequence of A- and B-rich stripes, and a hexagonal pattern of B-rich dots. When the phase diagram of the tethered film is plotted as a function of A/B incompatibility, N , and diblock composition, f , it resembles the bulk phase diagram with the periodic phases converging to a mean-field critical point at weak segregation. The periodic-phase region in the phase diagram shrinks with increasing grafting density and expands when the air surface acquires an affinity for the grafted B blocks.     

On the mean-field theory of magnetic multilayers with bilinear and biquadratic Heisenberg exchange

A system consisting of several layers of magnetic ions interacting by both bilinear and biquadratic Heisenberg exchange is studied within the framework of the mean-field approximation. It is shown that for S = 1 there exist two types of ordering: ferromagnetic and ferroquadrupolar. The stability of phases as the function of temperature, biquadratic exchange and surface exchange is discussed analytically and numerically and it was shown that similar to bulk samples there appear first- and second-order transitions and a tricritical point may appear depending on system parameters.     

Many-body Green's function theory for the magnetic reorientation of thin ferromagnetic films

The field-induced reorientation of the magnetization of ferromagnetic films is treated within the framework of many-body Green's function theory by considering all components of the magnetization. We present a new method for the calculation of expectation values in terms of the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the equations of motion matrix for the set of Green's functions. This formulation allows a straightforward extension of the monolayer case to thin films with many layers and for arbitrary spin and moreover provides a practicable procedure for numerical computation. The model Hamiltonian includes a Heisenberg term, an external magnetic field, a second-order uniaxial single-ion anisotropy, and the magnetic dipole-dipole coupling. We utilize the Tyablikov (RPA) decoupling for the exchange interaction terms and the Anderson-Callen decoupling for the anisotropy terms. The dipole coupling is treated in the mean-field approximation, a procedure which we demonstrate to be a sufficiently good approximation for realistic coupling strengths. We apply the new method to monolayers with spin and to multilayer systems with S=1. We compare some of our results to those where mean-field theory (MFT) is applied to all interactions, pointing out some significant differences. Received 19 June 2000 and Received in final form 2 August 2000     

Perturbative analysis of cross-talk of two pieces of photorefractive phase gratings stored in one point by angle multiplexing

In this paper, we have applied a perturbative expanding method to the hopping model, and studied the cross-talk between two pieces of phase gratings stored in one point of photorefractive material by angle multiplexing. The coupling equations and their steady solution have been derived. It has been found that the fundamental harmonic of the first grating is coupled with the second-order harmonic of the second grating and the second-order harmonic of the first gating is coupled with the fundamental harmonic of the second grating. The positions of maximums of the plots about the normalised fundamental and second-order harmonics of the space-charge field vs. the normalised grating vector (k/k₀) are at k/k₀=1.414 and k/k₀=1.01 for Δk/k₀=0, respectively, which are at k/k₀=1 and for the case of storing single grating in one point. This kind of deviation has been confirmed by our two-wave coupling experiment with Ce:KNSBN crystal. At the same time, we have found the degree of deviation of the second-order harmonic of the space-charge field strongly depends on the difference of normalised grating vector (k/k₀)between the two pieces of gratings, but that of fundamental harmonic weakly depends on it. In addition, it has been found that the degrees of deviation of both harmonics do not depend on the modulation depth.     

The effect of a surface on the dynamic and thermodynamic properties of S=1 Heisenberg ferromagnet with biquadratic exchange

Properties of semi-infinite (S=1) Heisenberg ferromagnet with biquadratic exchange were studied in terms of surface exchange (=I_S/I) and biquadratic coupling (a). It was shown that a strict correlation exists, depending on , between the type of surface spin waves (acoustic or optical) and the mean-field (MF) critical temperature, bulk (T_c) and surface T_c^S>T_c (for ). Within the framework of the Landau–Ginsburg theory for semi-infinite simple cubic ferromagnet, a detailed study is presented of the critical behaviour of the system, in particular in the vicinity of the tricritical point which is the consequence of the biquadratic interaction. It is shown that tricritical exponents satisfy exactly the scaling relations for d=3. The analysis of the spin–spin correlation function within the framework of the same theory, shows that there occurs the critical magnetic scattering of low-energy electrons (LEED) from the surface in the case , when the ordering temperature T_c^S is approached from above (from paramagnetic phase). In the opposite case, , there occurs no surface critical scattering. It was also shown that in the vicinity of the tricritical point, the biquadratic interaction increases the range of validity of the MF approximation.     

Mean-Field Analysis of the q-Voter Model on Networks

We present a detailed investigation of the behavior of the nonlinear q-voter model for opinion dynamics. At the mean-field level we derive analytically, for any value of the number q of agents involved in the elementary update, the phase diagram, the exit probability and the consensus time at the transition point. The mean-field formalism is extended to the case that the interaction pattern is given by generic heterogeneous networks. We finally discuss the case of random regular networks and compare analytical results with simulations.     

Dynamic compensation temperature in kinetic spin-5/2 Ising model on hexagonal lattice

We present a study of the dynamic behavior of a two-sublattice spin-5/2 Ising model with bilinear and crystal-field interactions in the presence of a time-dependent oscillating external magnetic field on alternate layers of a hexagonal lattice by using the Glauber-type stochastic dynamics. The lattice is formed by alternate layers of spins σ=5/2 and S=5/2. We employ the Glauber transition rates to construct the mean-field dynamic equations. First, we investigate the time variations of the average sublattice magnetizations to find the phases in the system and then the thermal behavior of the dynamic sublattice magnetizations to characterize the nature (first- or second-order) of the phase transitions and to obtain the dynamic phase transition (DPT) points. We also study the thermal behavior of the dynamic total magnetization to find the dynamic compensation temperature and to determine the type of the dynamic compensation behavior. We present the dynamic phase diagrams, including the dynamic compensation temperatures, in nine different planes. The phase diagrams contain seven different fundamental phases, thirteen different mixed phases, in which the binary and ternary combination of fundamental phases and the compensation temperature or the L-type behavior strongly depend on the interaction parameters.     

Traffic flow models with ‘slow-to-start’ rules

We investigate two models for traffic flow with modified acceleration (‘slow-to-start’) rules. Even in the simplest case v_max = 1 these rules break the ‘particle-hole’ symmetry of the model. We determine the fundamental diagram (flow-density relationship) using the so-called car-oriented mean-field approach (COMF) which yields the exact solution of the basic model with v_max = 1. Here we find that this is no longer true for the models with modified acceleration rules, but the results are still in good agreement with simulations. We also compare the effects of the two different slow-to-start rules and discuss their relevance for real traffic. In addition, in one of these models we find a new phase transition to a completely jammed state.     

Ising model with frustration,elasticity, and competing interactions

The Ising model on a compressible triangular lattice with axial next-nearestneighbor interactions is studied in the mean-field approximation. A representative phase diagram is generated, which exhibits first- and second-order phase transitions to commensurate modulated phases. The crossover point from first to second order transitions is calculated. The stability of the modulated phases is calculated analytically in a low-temperature approximation. These results are very different from the ANNNI model, which exhibits a second-order transition to a continuum of commensurate and incommensurate phases.     

On the mean-field Ising model in a random external field

We use a method developed by van Hemmen to obtain the free energy of the mean-field Ising model in a random external magnetic field. Some results of previous mean-field calculations are confirmed and generalized. The tricritical point in the global phase diagram is discussed in detail. We also consider different probability distributions of the random fields and provide some proofs regarding the conditions for the existence of a tricritical point.     

Monte Carlo study of the Ising antiferromagnetic with a longitudinal field on the anisotropic square lattice

The Ising antiferromagnetic in the presence of a magnetic field on an anisotropic square lattice is studied by Monte Carlo simulation. We obtained the phase diagram in the T-H plane investigating the reentrant behavior around of the critical field Hc=2Jy. Using the Binder cumulant we locate the critical temperature Tc as a function of H. In order to test our simulation, for null field we obtain the critical behavior of Tc as a function of r=Jy/Jx and is in excellent agreement with exact solution of Onsager. Our results indicate a second-order transition for all values of H and particular case r=1 (independent of the ratio r≠0), where not reentrant behavior was observed.     

Enhancement of optical nonlinearity in a guest-host system by nematic ordering

Second-harmonic generation (SHG) has been studied for understanding the enhancement mechanism for the second-order optical nonlinearity by the nematic (or axial) ordering in a liquid crystal doped with one-dimensional nonlinear optical (NLO) organic molecules. An extended version of the Maier-Saupe mean-field theory for nematic liquid crystals was developed to obtain analytical expressions for the second-order NLO coefficients in terms of the axial order, the polar order and the effective nematic potential. From the SHG data in a guest-host system composed ofN,N'-dimethylaminonitrostilbene molecules (0.5% by weight) and a liquid crystal, the enhancement of the second-order NLO coefficient,d ₃₃, by nematic ordering becomes almost 3, which agrees well with our theoretical predictions.     

The mean-field adsorption on a sinusoidally corrugated substrate revised

The fluid system at the bulk liquid–gas coexistence in a presence of a sinusoidally corrugated substrate exhibits not only the wetting transition, but additionally a first-order, thin–thick transition. The mean-field analysis of this transition based on a simple effective Hamiltonian is valid only in long wavelength limit. In this case the filling transition occurs so close to the wetting temperature, that the behavior of the interface is dominated by fluctuations, therefore the mean-field approach breaks down. We analyze the filling transition with the help of Hamiltonian evaluated from Landau theory. The applicability of our Hamiltonian is not restricted only to the vicinity of the wetting point. We obtain the phase diagram valid beyond the temperature range corresponding to the strong fluctuations regime. It displays more complex dependence on different length scales of the system and includes the old one as a particular case.     

Critical behaviour of Sn2P2S6 and Sn2P2(Se0.28S0.72)6 crystals under high hydrostatic pressures

Basing on the temperature dependences of optical birefringence for Sn₂P₂S₆ and Sn₂P₂(Se_0.28S_0.72)₆ crystals subjected to hydrostatic pressures, we prove unambiguously that Sn₂P₂S₆ reveals a tricritical point on its (p, T)-phase diagram with the coordinates (p, T) = (4.3 kbar, 259 K), so that the second-order phase transition transforms into the first-order one whenever the pressure increases above 4.3 kbar. We also find that increasing hydrostatic pressure applied to Sn₂P₂(Se_0.28S_0.72)₆ leads to the change in the phase transition character from tricritical to first order. Further increase in the pressure up to ~2.5 kbar imposes splitting of the first-order paraelectric-to-ferroelectric phase transition into two phase transitions, a second-order paraelectric-to-incommensurate one and a first-order incommensurate-to-ferroelectric transition.     

Slave-boson phase diagram of the two-dimensional extended Hubbard model: Influence of electron-phonon coupling

We present a detailed study of the extended Hubbard-Peierls model on a square lattice using the slave-boson method proposed by Kotliar and Ruckenstein. The emphasis is on the investigation of the ground state phase diagram. To compare the relative stability of several homogenous phases, the effective bosonized action was evaluated by means of a two-sublattice saddlepoint approximation which allows for the symmetry broken states compatible with the underlying bipartite lattice structure. Paying particular attention to the interplay of electron-electron and electron-phonon interaction, we take into account various types of magnetic ordered phases, i.e. para-, ferro-, ferri-, and antiferromagnetic states, as well as charge ordered phases, e.g. a static (, ) Peierls distorted state. Furthermore the approach has been applied to the following special cases: the Hubbard model, the extended Hubbard model, and the Hubbard-Peierls model. A careful numerical solution of the corresponding self-consistency equations enables us to map out the ground-state phase diagrams of the various models at arbitrary band filling over the whole range of interaction strength. In the phase diagram of the Hubbard model we found a large region with ferrimagnetic order away from half-filling. The phase diagram of the halffilled band extended Hubbard model shows a first-order transition from a spin-density-wave to a charge-density-wave state which is displaced from the mean-field lineU=4V towards largerV. At large negativeU andV we obtain a domain with charge separation. The phase compares favorably with earlier quantum Monte-Carlo results. Including the local electron-phonon coupling the charge-density-wave region is considerably enlarged. Away from half-filling the phase diagram becomes more complex: besides the pure magnetic phases we obtain ferri- and paramagnetic states which show additional charge-density order. Aspects of phase separation are discussed. Finally we investigate the variation of the different gap and order parameters along characteristic lines in the parameter space and determine the renormalized quasiparticle bands.