Phase transition and critical properties of spin-orbital interacting systems

Phase transition and critical properties of Ising-like spin-orbital interacting systems in 2-dimensional triangular lattice are investigated. We first show that the ground state of the system is a composite spin-orbital ferro-ordered phase. Though Landau effective field theory predicts the second-order phase transition of the composite spin-orbital order, however, the critical exponents obtained by the renormalization group approach demonstrate that the spin-orbital order-disorder transition is far from the second-order, rather, it is more close to the first-order. The unusual critical behavior near the transition point is attributed to the fractionalization of the composite order parameter.     

Deconfined criticality, runaway flow in the two-component scalar electrodynamics and weak first-order superfluid-solid transitions

We perform a comparative Monte Carlo study of the easy-plane deconfined critical point (DCP) action and its short-range counterpart to reveal close similarities between the two models for intermediate and strong coupling regimes. For weak coupling, the structure of the phase diagram depends on the interaction range: while the short-range model features a tricritical point and a continuous U(1) × U(1) transition, the long-range DCP action is characterized by the runaway renormalization flow of coupling into a first (I) order phase transition. We develop a “numerical flowgram” method for high precision studies of the runaway effect, weakly I-order transitions, and polycritical points. We prove that the easy-plane DCP action is the field theory of a weakly I-order phase transition between the valence bond solid and the easy-plane antiferromagnet (or superfluid, in particle language) for any value of the weak coupling strength. Our analysis also solves the long standing problem of what is the ultimate fate of the runaway flow to strong coupling in the theory of scalar electrodynamics in three dimensions with U(1) × U(1) symmetry of quartic interactions.     

Pairwise Entanglement and Quantum Phase Transitions in Spin Systems

We examine several well-known quantum spin models and categorize the behaviour of pairwise entanglement at quantum phase transitions. A unitied picture on the connection between the entanglement and quantum phase transition in spin systems is presented.     

θ renormalization, electron-electron interactions and super universality in the quantum Hall regime

The renormalization theory of the quantum Hall effect relies primarily on the non-perturbative concept of θ renormalization by instantons. Within the generalized non-linear σ model approach initiated by Finkelstein we obtain the physical observables of the interacting electron gas, formulate the general (topological) principles by which the Hall conductance is robustly quantized and derive—for the first time—explicit expressions for the non-perturbative (instanton) contributions to the renormalization group β and γ functions. Our results are in complete agreement with the recently proposed idea of super universality which says that the fundamental aspects of the quantum Hall effect are all generic features the instanton vacuum concept in asymptotically free field theory.     

Persistence of quantum information

We study the flip-processes in a two-level system, which is triggered by the coupling to a classical bath. When the bath is represented by a stochastic field, the time evolution of the density matrix leads to a stochastic equation with a multiplicative noise. Accordingly the Fokker–Planck-equation (FPE) depends on the matrix elements of the underlying density operator. The solution of the FPE can be parametrized in terms of an inherent conserved quantity α, which is interpreted as a measure for the persistence of quantum information. We show that the FPE exhibits a single unique steady state solution different from Boltzmann's law. The exactly computable discrete spectrum of the relaxation times is characterized by two quantum numbers and the ratio of Planck's constant and the coupling strength to the bath. The total entropy is analyzed as function of the quantum number α  . In case of α=1$\alpha =1$ the system is in a pure state whereas for α≠1$\alpha \ne 1$ a mixed state is realized. In case of two, two-level systems, immersed in the common bath, the two noninteracting two-level systems become mutually entangled. The annealed entropy is in that case non-extensive.     

Electron correlations at the fractional quantum Hall edge

This paper reviews tunnel spectroscopy of fractional quantum Hall edges using cleaved-edge overgrown devices. Beginning with an intuitive introduction to various experimental and theoretical aspects, the device structure is reviewed, and the experimental result of a continuum of power-law tunneling exponents is revisited. The unanticipated behavior of the exponent with fractional filling factor is described, and all subsequent theoretical explanations for these results are laid out for comparison. Finally, we propose new directions for experimentally resolving the remaining questions.     

Entanglement, quantum phase transition and fixed-point bifurcation in the N-atom Jaynes-Cummings model with an additional symmetry breaking term

In the present work we analyze the quantum phase transition (QPT) in the N-atom Jaynes-Cummings model (NJCM) with an additional symmetry breaking interaction term in the Hamiltonian. We show that depending on the type of symmetry breaking term added the transition order can change or not and also the fixed point associated to the classical analogue of the Hamiltonian can bifurcate or not. We present two examples of symmetry broken Hamiltonians and discuss based on them, the interconnection between the transition order, appearance of bifurcation and the behavior of the entanglement.     

Classical two-site fidelity and quantum phase transitions in the Ising model and the extended Hubbard model

In this Letter, the classical two-site-ground-state fidelity (CTGF) is exploited to identify quantum phase transitions (QPTs) for the transverse field Ising model (TFIM) and the one-dimensional extended Hubbard model (EHM). Our results show that the CTGF exhibits an abrupt change around the regions of criticality and can be used to identify QPTs in spin and fermionic systems. The method is especially convenient when it is connected with the density-matrix renormalization group (DMRG) algorithm.     

Performance of Wang-Landau algorithm in continuous spin models and a case study: Modified XY-model

Performance of Wang-Landau (WL) algorithm in two continuous spin models is tested by determining the fluctuations in energy histogram. Finite size scaling is performed on a modified XY-model using different WL sampling schemes. Difficulties faced in simulating relatively large continuous systems using WL algorithm are discussed.     

First order phase transitions in the canonical and the microcanonical ensemble

In the canonical ensemble any singularity of a thermodynamic function at a temperatureT _c is smeared over a temperature range of orderT _T /N. Therefore it is rather difficult to distinguish between a discontinuous and a continuous phase transition on the basis of numerical data obtained for finite systems in the canonical ensemble. It is demonstrated for four model systems that this problem cannot be circumvented by considering higher cumulants of the energy distribution or cumulant ratios. On the other hand, the distinction between first and a second order phase transition is rather direct if based on the microcanonical density of states which is readily obtainable in the dynamical ensemble.     

Magnetic-field-driven quantum critical behavior in graphite and bismuth

We study magnetotransport properties of graphite and rhombohedral bismuth samples and found that in both materials applied magnetic field induces the metal-insulator- (MIT) and reentrant insulator-metal-type (IMT) transformations. The corresponding transition boundaries plotted on the magnetic field-temperature (B − T) plane nearly coincide for these semimetals and can be best described by power laws T ∼ (B − B_c)^κ, where B_c is a critical field at T = 0 and κ = 0.45 ± 0.05. We show that insulator-metal-insulator (I-M-I) transformations take place in the Landau level quantization regime and illustrate how the IMT in quasi-3D graphite transforms into a cascade of I-M-I transitions, related to the quantum Hall effect in quasi-2D graphite samples. We discuss the possible coupling of superconducting and excitonic correlations with the observed phenomena, as well as signatures of quantum phase transitions associated with the M-I and I-M transformations.     

A critical look at quantum diffusion and some of its interesting aspects

A fresh and critical look has been given to the long-time behaviour of the quantum diffusion problem and a marginally more accurate solution has been obtained as compared to the one reported in the recent literature. Attempt has also been made to bring out a few interesting generic features of this problem which may have important bearing on real systems in the quantum domain.     

Non-equilibrium behavior at a liquid-gas critical point

Second-order phase transitions in a non-equilibrium liquid-gas model with reversible mode couplings, i.e., model H for binary-fluid critical dynamics, are studied using dynamic field theory and the renormalization group. The system is driven out of equilibrium either by considering different values for the noise strengths in the Langevin equations describing the evolution of the dynamic variables (effectively placing these at different temperatures), or more generally by allowing for anisotropic noise strengths, i.e., by constraining the dynamics to be at different temperatures in d _|| - and d _⊥-dimensional subspaces, respectively. In the first, isotropic case, we find one infrared-stable and one unstable renormalization group fixed point. At the stable fixed point, detailed balance is dynamically restored, with the two noise strengths becoming asymptotically equal. The ensuing critical behavior is that of the standard equilibrium model H. At the novel unstable fixed point, the temperature ratio for the dynamic variables is renormalized to infinity, resulting in an effective decoupling between the two modes. We compute the critical exponents at this new fixed point to one-loop order. For model H with spatially anisotropic noise, we observe a critical softening only in the d _⊥-dimensional sector in wave vector space with lower noise temperature. The ensuing effective two-temperature model H does not have any stable fixed point in any physical dimension, at least to one-loop order. We obtain formal expressions for the novel critical exponents in a double expansion about the upper critical dimension d _c = 4 - d _|| and with respect to d _|| , i.e., about the equilibrium theory. Received 4 April 2002 Published online 13 August 2002     

Energy scales and magnetoresistance at a quantum critical point

The magnetoresistance (MR) of CeCoIn₅ is notably different from that in many conventional metals. We show that a pronounced crossover from negative to positive MR at elevated temperatures and fixed magnetic fields is determined by the scaling behavior of quasiparticle effective mass. At a quantum critical point (QCP) this dependence generates kinks (crossover points from fast to slow growth) in thermodynamic characteristics (like specific heat, magnetization, etc.) at some temperatures when a strongly correlated electron system transits from the magnetic field induced Landau-Fermi liquid (LFL) regime to the non-Fermi liquid (NFL) one taking place at rising temperatures. We show that the above kink-like peculiarity separates two distinct energy scales in QCP vicinity - low temperature LFL scale and high temperature one related to NFL regime. Our comprehensive theoretical analysis of experimental data permits to reveal for the first time new MR and kinks scaling behavior as well as to identify the physical reasons for above energy scales.     

Noise-Induced Phase Transition: Zero-Dimensional Brownian Particles Varying between Ergodicity and Nonergodicity

We study in phase space a zero-dimensional system of Brownian particles which move in a periodic potential and subject to an internal time derivative Ornstein-Uhlenbeck noise. To resolve the Fokker-Planck equation in such a case, we propose an approximate analytical method. The theoretical predictions exhibit a second order noise-induced nonequilibrium phase transition, which is confirmed by numerical simulation results. The phase transition brings the system from an ergodicity to a nonergodicity phase as the potential barrier height decreases.     

Time-Dependent Variational Approach to Ground-State Phase Transition and Phonon Dispersion Relation of the Quantum Double-Well Model

The ground-state phase transition and the phonon dispersion relation of the quantum double-well model are studied by means of the time-dependent variational approach combined with a Hartree-type many-body trial wavefunction. The single-particle state is taken to be a frozen Jackiw-Kerman wavefunction. Under the condition of minimum uncertainty relation, we obtain an effective classical Hamiltonian for the system and equations of motion for the particle＇s expectation values. It is shown that the effective substrate potential transits from a symmetric double-well potential to a symmetric single-well potential, and the ground state exhibits a transition from a broken symmetry phase to a restored symmetry phase as increasing the strength of quantum fluctuations. We also obtain the phonon dispersion relations and the phonon gaps at the two phases.     

Bound states and band structure—A unified treatment through the quantum Hamilton-Jacobi approach

We analyze the Scarf potential, which exhibits both discrete energy bound states and energy bands, through the quantum Hamilton-Jacobi approach. The singularity structure and the boundary conditions in the above approach, naturally isolate the bound and periodic states, once the problem is mapped to the zero energy sector of another quasi-exactly solvable quantum problem. The energy eigenvalues are obtained without having to solve for the corresponding eigenfunctions explicitly. We also demonstrate how to find the eigenfunctions through this method.     

The Glauber dynamics for a spin-1 metamagnetic Ising system with bilinear and biquadratic interactions

We present a study, within a mean-field approximation, of the dynamics of a spin-1 metamagnetic Ising system with bilinear and biquadratic interactions in the presence of a time-dependent oscillating external magnetic field. First, we employ the Glauber transition rates to construct the set of mean-field dynamic equations. Then, we study the time variation of the average order parameters to find the phases in the system. We also investigate the thermal behavior of dynamic order parameters to characterize the nature (first- or second-order) of the dynamic transitions. The dynamic phase transitions are obtained and the phase diagrams are constructed in two different the planes. The phase diagrams contain a disordered and ordered phases, and four different mixed phases that strongly depend on interaction parameters. Phase diagrams also display one or two dynamic tricritical points, a dynamic double critical end and dynamic quadruple points. A comparison is made with the results of the other metamagnetic Ising systems.