Effects of the Quenched Random Crystal Field on the Dynamic Spin-1 Blume-Capel Model

In this study, we have analyzed the dynamical phase transitions of spin-1 Blume-Capel model with quenched random crystal field under the effect of a time dependent oscillating magnetic field. We have obtained the magnetic field, temperature (h,T) cross sections of the global phase diagram for constant values of the concentration and the amplitude of the single-ion anisotropy within mean field approximation. There are regions of the phase space where both ordered and disordered phases coexist. In addition, the dynamic phase transition from one regime to the other can be a first- or a second-order depending on the region in the phase diagram. Hence, the system exhibits a number of interesting phenomena and a rich variety of phase diagrams with type being according to the concentration p of active local crystal fields.     

Microkinetics of the first- and second-order phase transitions

A model of the phase transition in a lattice of interacting nodes, in which each node is a statistical system with internal structure, is introduced. Configuration entropy of microscopic states of the node is defined as a basic parameter of the model. In the frame of the model the first- and second-order phase transitions are considered in details. The distinction between them on the microscopic level is analyzed. Phase diagrams have been calculated in the mean-field approximation. Changes of the phase diagrams and modifications of phase transitions under external pressure and irradiation are investigated in the frame of the microkinetic approach. Results are referred to real systems.     

Effect of an electric field on ferroelastic phase transitions

The effect of an external electric field on the proper ferroelastic phase transitions described in a two-dimensional representation of the D _4h class is analyzed theoretically. The electric field induces a Lifshitz invariant. It is shown that this invariant does not lead to the formation of an incommensurate phase. The phase diagram for commensurate transitions occurring under the action of an electric field changes significantly. The second-order phase transition from the initial phase is split by an electric field of specific orientation into a sequence of two second-order phase transitions with close temperatures.     

FERRIMAGNETIC PHASES OF THE BLUME-EMERY-GRIFFITHS MODEL AND THE POTTS MODEL ON THE DIAMOND LATTICE

The phase transitions in the Blume-Emery-Griffiths (BEG) model and antiferromagnetic Potts model on the diamond lattice are investigated using the cluster-variation method in the pair approximation. The ferrimagnetic phases are found to be different from those on the simple-cubic lattice. The phase diagrams of the BEG model are also calculated. In the vicinity of the parameter line where the BEG model reduces to the three-state antiferromagnetic Potts model, new types of phase diagram are obtained. The results are different from those of the mean-field theory, which is a good approximation only for large coordination number of the lattice.     

Gutzwiller study of spin-1 bosons in an optical lattice under a magnetic field

We study spin-1 bosons in an optical lattice under a magnetic field with the Gutzwiller approximation for the Bose-Hubbard model. Phase boundary curves between superfluids and Mott insulators depend continuously on the magnetic field, and this provides better results than those obtained with the perturbative mean-field approximation. The phase boundary curve as a function of magnetic field has a sharp cusp structure under certain circumstances. In superfluid phases, both the spin magnetizations and fluctuations in the total number of bosons show strong magnetic field dependence, which is related to the fact that both first-and second-order transitions appear on the phase boundary curve according to the magnetic field.     

The invar effect and phase transitions in Cs2ZnI4 crystals

An in situ x-ray diffraction study of Cs₂ZnI₄ crystals performed in the 4.2–300 K temperature range is reported. The lattice parameter measurements have revealed three anomalies corresponding to phase transitions. The thermal expansion coefficient along the c axis was found to vanish in the region of incommensurate and commensurate modulated phases, 120–96 K (the invar effect). A possible crystallographic model relating modulated atomic displacements to the invar effect is discussed. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 41, 137–142 (January 1999)     

Nonequilibrium quantum phase transitions in the Dicke model

We establish a set of nonequilibrium quantum phase transitions in the Dicke model by considering a monochromatic nonadiabatic modulation of the atom-field coupling. For weak driving the system exhibits a set of sidebands which allow the circumvention of the no-go theorem which otherwise forbids the occurrence of superradiant phase transitions. At strong driving we show that the system exhibits a rich multistable structure and exhibits both first- and second-order nonequilibrium quantum phase transitions.     

Commensurate two-component bosons in an optical lattice: ground state phase diagram

Two sorts of bosons in an optical lattice at commensurate filling factors can form five stable super-fluid and insulating ground states with rich and nontrivial phase diagram. The structure of the ground state diagram is established by mapping a d-dimensional quantum system onto a (d+1)-dimensional classical loop-current model and Monte Carlo (MC) simulations of the latter. Surprisingly, the quantum phase diagram features, besides second-order lines, first-order transitions and two multicritical points. We explain why first-order transitions are generic for models with pairing interactions using microscopic and mean-field (MF) arguments. In some cases, the MC results strongly deviate from the MF predictions.     

Magnetic properties of the spin S = 1/2 Heisenberg chain with hexamer modulation of exchange

We consider the spin-1/2 Heisenberg chain with alternating spin exchange in the presence of additional modulation of exchange on odd bonds with period 3. We study the ground state magnetic phase diagram of this hexamer spin chain in the limit of very strong antiferromagnetic (AF) exchange on odd bonds using the numerical Lanczos method and bosonization approach. In the limit of strong magnetic field commensurate with the dominating AF exchange, the model is mapped onto an effective XXZ Heisenberg chain in the presence of uniform and spatially modulated fields, which is studied using the standard continuum-limit bosonization approach. In the absence of additional hexamer modulation, the model undergoes a quantum phase transition from a gapped phase into the only one gapless Lüttinger liquid (LL) phase by increasing the magnetic field. In the presence of hexamer modulation, two new gapped phases are identified in the ground state at magnetization equal to [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] of the saturation value. These phases reveal themselves also in the magnetization curve as plateaus at corresponding values of magnetization. As a result, the magnetic phase diagram of the hexamer chain shows seven different quantum phases, four gapped and three gapless, and the system is characterized by six critical fields which mark quantum phase transitions between the ordered gapped and the LL gapless phases.     

Exact demonstration of magnetization plateaus and first-order dimer-Neel phase transitions in a modified shastry-sutherland model for SrCu2(BO3)(2)

We study a generalized Shastry-Sutherland model for the material SrCu2(BO3)(2). Along a line in the parameter space, we show rigorously that the model has a first-order phase transition between dimerized and Neel-ordered ground states. Furthermore, when a magnetic field is applied in the dimerized phase, magnetization plateaus develop at commensurate values of the magnetization. We also discuss various aspects of the phase diagram and properties of this model away from this exactly soluble line, which include gap-closing continuous transitions between dimerized and magnetically ordered phases.     

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.     

Nonequilibrium phase transitions induced by multiplicative noise: effects of self-correlation

A recently introduced lattice model, describing an extended system which exhibits a reentrant (symmetry-breaking, second-order) noise-induced nonequilibrium phase transition, is studied under the assumption that the multiplicative noise leading to the transition is colored. Within an effective Markovian approximation and a mean-field scheme it is found that when the self-correlation time tau of the noise is different from zero, the transition is also reentrant with respect to the spatial coupling D. In other words, at variance with what one expects for equilibrium phase transitions, a large enough value of D favors disorder. Moreover, except for a small region in the parameter subspace determined by the noise intensity sigma and D, an increase in tau usually prevents the formation of an ordered state. These effects are supported by numerical simulations.     

Surface and bulk order-disorder transitions

Interrelation of surface an bulk order-disorder transitions in binary alloys A_xB_1−x is discussed within the framework of the Bragg-Williams approximation, using the fcc (100) and bcc (110) surfaces as an example. In an fcc alloy with a (100) surface, layers parallel to the surface undergo alternately second-order transitions. On the other hand, the bulk fee alloy reveals a first-order transition from the disordered phase to a mixture of the disordered and the AB₃- (or A₃B-) type ordered phases except for X = 0.5. The origin of the bulk first-order transition is discussed by taking into account order-disorder transitions in the surface region. For comparison, the bulk second-order transition in a bcc alloy is also discussed.     

Evolution of the commensurate and incommensurate magnetic phases of the S = 3/2 kagome staircase Co?V?O? in an applied field

Single crystal neutron diffraction studies have been performed on the S = 3/2 kagome staircase compound Co(3)V(2)O(8) with a magnetic field applied along the magnetization easy-axis ([Formula: see text]). Previous zero-field measurements (Chen Y et al 2006 Phys. Rev. B 74 014430) reported a rich variety of magnetic phases, with a ferromagnetic ground state as well as incommensurate, transversely polarized spin density wave (SDW) phases (with a propagation vector of [Formula: see text]) interspersed with multiple commensurate lock-in transitions. The magnetic phase diagram with [Formula: see text] adds further complexity. For small applied fields, μ(0)H ≈ 0.05 T, the commensurate lock-in phases are destabilized in favor of the incommensurate SDW ones, while slightly larger applied fields restore the commensurate lock-in phase with δ = 1/2 and yield a new commensurate phase with δ = 2/5. For measurements in an applied field, higher-order scattering is observed that corresponds to the second harmonic.     

Competing magnetic phases on a kagomé staircase

We present thermodynamic and neutron data on Ni3V2O8, a spin-1 system on a kagomé staircase. The extreme degeneracy of the kagomé antiferromagnet is lifted to produce two incommensurate phases at finite T--one amplitude modulated, the other helical--plus a commensurate canted antiferromagnet for T-->0. The H-T phase diagram is described by a model of competing first and second neighbor interactions with smaller anisotropic terms. Ni3V2O8 thus provides an elegant example of order from subleading interactions in a highly frustrated system.     

Metal-insulator and order-disorder phase transitions: Magnetite

A thermodynamic model is presented for a system which exhibits both metal-insulator and order-disorder phase transitions. It is found that transition temperatures could be much lower than those predicted by pure order-disorder -only considerations. A variety of behaviors, including first-order and second-order transitions and critical points is found as the parameters change. The model explains qualitatively the experimental results for magnetite and suggests other possible behaviors for closely related systems.     

一类相变的Landau-deGennes模型——高斯近似

本文对一类相变的Landau-deGennes模型(以下简称L-deG模型)进行了高斯近似和平均场近似计算,获得一些“临界指数”的数值。例如,在高斯近似下,α=0.5≠α＇,γ=1≠γ＇,ν=0.5≠ν＇等等。我们计算了比热,并与液晶MBBA的实验进行了比较,讨论了向列相-各向同性液相相变与三重临界点的关系。文中特别着重讨论了一类与二类相变临界行为的异同。我们认为,二类相变的标度律结果不能简单地挪用到一类相变的情况。     

Mean-field theory of the three-state chiral clock model

The phase diagram of the three-state chiral clock model, which is known to exhibit commensurate and incommensurate ordered modulated structures, is investigated in the mean-field approximation. First a numerical analysis of the mean-field equations is presented. It is based in the main on the observation that these equations define a non-linear mapping in a four dimensional space. This method of analyzing the mean-field theory proves particularly useful in the determination of the pinning transition of the incommensurate structures. Next the phase diagram is investigated analytically by means of a Landau expansion modified such as to include domain walls. It is found that in the vicinity of the order-disorder transition most features of the phase diagram can be explained quantitatively by this expansion. Finally we present a systematic lowtemperature expansion of the mean-field theory, showing that the low-temperature phase diagram obtained in the mean-field approximation is different from that of the full model.Dedicated to B. Mühlschlegel on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Random-bond and random-anisotropy effects in the phase diagram of the Blume–Capel model

We report on Monte Carlo studies of the influence of quenched randomness on the phase diagram of the three-dimensional (3D) Blume–Capel model. The randomness is supposed to act either on the exchange coupling constants (bond randomness) or on the anisotropy distribution. With increasing disorder, first-order phase transitions are shown to change into second-order phase transitions. The trajectory of the tricritical point in the phase space as a function of disorder is presented. We have also calculated critical exponents at some points in the second-order phase region which show a change of universality class in agreement with the Harris criterion.     

Structural studies of the P-T phase diagram of sodium niobate

The crystal structure of sodium niobate (NaNbO₃) has been investigated by energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction at high pressures (up to 4.3 GPa) in the temperature range 300–1050 K. At normal conditions, NaNbO₃ has an orthorhombic structure with Pbcm symmetry (antiferroelectric P phase). Upon heating, sodium niobate undergoes a series of consecutive transitions between structural modulated phases P-R-S-T(1)-T(2)-U; these transitions manifest themselves as anomalies in the temperature dependences of the positions and widths of diffraction peaks. Application of high pressure leads to a decrease in the temperatures of the structural transitions to the R, S, T(1), T(2), and U phases with different baric coefficients. A phase diagram for sodium niobate has been build in the pressure range 0–4.3 GPa and the temperature range 300–1050 K. The dependences of the unit-cell parameters and volume on pressure and temperature have been obtained. The bulk modulus and the volume coefficients of thermal expansion have been calculated for different structural modulated phases of sodium niobate. A phase transition (presumably, from the antiferroelectric orthorhombic P phase to the ferroelectric rhombohedral N phase) has been observed at high pressure (P = 1.6 GPa) and room temperature.