Topological order at nonzero temperature

We propose a definition for topological order at nonzero temperature in analogy to the usual zero temperature definition that a state is topologically ordered, or "nontrivial", if it cannot be transformed into a product state (or a state close to a product state) using a local (or approximately local) quantum circuit. We prove that any two-dimensional Hamiltonian which is a sum of commuting local terms is not topologically ordered at T > 0. We show that such trivial states cannot be used to store quantum information using certain stringlike operators. This definition is not too restrictive, however, as the four dimensional toric code does have a nontrivial phase at nonzero temperature.     

Self-gravitating bosons at nonzero temperature

A system of charged bosons at finite temperature and chemical potential is studied in a general-relativistic framework. We assume that the boson fields interact only gravitationally. At sufficiently low temperature the system exists in two phases: the gas and the condensate. By studying the condensation process numerically we determine the critical temperature T_c at which the condensate emerges. As the temperature decreases, the system eventually settles down in the ground state of a cold boson star.     

The random replicator model at nonzero temperature

The random replicator model with interspecies coupling strengths prescribed by the competitive exclusion principle – the Hebb rule – is studied analytically in the presence of fast noise that describes the flow of migrants between the ecosystem and the outer world. The stochastic dynamics leads to stationary states distributed according to the Gibbs distribution permitting thus an equilibrium statistical mechanics analysis. We find that a discontinuous phase transition separates a regime of strong competition, and consequently of low diversity, from more cooperative regimes. The statistical analysis is carried out for the annealed scheme, for which the evolutionary and ecological timescales coincide, as well as for the quenched scheme, for which the features that identify the species are fixed.     

String theory at nonzero temperature and two-dimensional gravity

On leave from Tomsk Pedagogical Institute, Tomsk, Russia.     

Quantum properties of a bonsonic membrane at nonzero temperature

The thermodynamics of a quasiclassical bosonic membrane is discussed. Based on the S representation, an attempt is made to construct the F representation for the free energy, and a comparison is made with the analogous analysis in field theory. The question of the possibility of dual symmetry of free energy is studied, and a dual-symmetric generalization of the free energy is constructed. The dependence of the Hagedorn temperature on the cutoff parameter is noted.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 9, pp. 66–71, September, 1991.The author is grateful to A. A. Bytsenko and I. M. Likhttsier for discussing a number of subjects.     

Decay of correlations in Fermi systems at nonzero temperature

The locality of correlation functions is considered for Fermi systems at nonzero temperature. We show that for all short-range, lattice Hamiltonians, the correlation function of any two fermionic operators decays exponentially with a correlation length which is of order the inverse temperature for small temperature. We discuss applications to numerical simulation of quantum systems at nonzero temperature.     

Casimir force at both nonzero temperature and finite conductivity

We find the combined effect of nonzero temperature and finite conductivity onto the Casimir force between real metals. Configurations of two parallel plates and a sphere (lens) above a plate are considered. Perturbation theory in two parameters (the relative temperature and the relative penetration depth of zero-point oscillations into the metal) is developed. Perturbative results are compared with computations. Recent improper computations based on the Lifshitz formula for the temperature Casimir force are discussed.     

Lattice Yang-Mills theory at nonzero temperature and the confinement problem

We discuss finite temperature lattice Yang-Mills theory with special attention to the confinement problem. The relationship between the confinement criteria of Wilson, Polyakov, and 't Hooft is clarified by establishing a string of inequalities between the corresponding string tensions. The close connection between finite temperature Yang-Mills models and spin models is exploited to obtain new and rather sharp upper bounds for the critical coupling constant above which there is confinement. This same analogy also allows us to establish infrared bounds for the gauge models that yield a lower bound for this critical coupling and thereby show the existence of a weak coupling regime without confinement at nonzero temperature in three or more space dimensions. Finally we discuss extension of our results to other forms of the lattice action, the Hamiltonian lattice models of Kogut and Susskind and 't Hooft'sN → ∞ limit.     

Fractional electric charge of a magnetic vortex at nonzero temperature

An ideal gas of two-dimensional Dirac fermions in the background of a pointlike magnetic vortex with arbitrary flux is considered. We find that this system acquires fractional electric charge at finite temperatures and determine the functional dependence of the thermal average and quadratic fluctuation of the charge on the temperature, the vortex flux, and the continuous parameter of the boundary condition at the location of the vortex.     

Meson-loop effects in the NJL model at zero and nonzero temperature

We compare two different possibilities of including meson-loop corrections in the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model: a strict 1/N _c expansion in the next-to-leading order and a nonperturbative scheme corresponding to a one-meson-loop approximation to the effective action. Both schemes are consistent with chiral symmetry, in particular, with the Goldstone theorem and the Gell-Mann-Oakes-Renner relation. The numerical part at zero temperature focuses on the pion and the ρ-meson sector. For the latter, meson-loop corrections are crucial in order to include the dominant ρ → ππ-decay channel, while the standard Hartree + RPA approximation only contains unphysical $m_\pi ,f_\pi ,\left\langle {\bar \psi \psi } \right\rangle $ -decay channels. We find that $q\bar q$ , and quantities related to the ρ-meson self-energy can be described reasonably with one parameter set in the 1/N _c-expansion scheme, whereas we did not succeed in obtaining such a fit in the nonperturbative scheme. We also investigate the temperature dependence of the quark condensate. Here, we find consistency with the chiral perturbation theory to the lowest order. Similarities and differences of both schemes are discussed.     

量子点系统的热力学稳定性及其单粒子分布函数的性质:非零温时的情况

利用一个量子点系统热力学稳定性的要求及量子统计物理中的Klein不等式,证明了在非零温度时,该系统的单粒子分布函数对于量子点上单粒子能级而言仍然是非增的.这一结果表明,一个量子多体系统中谱函数的行为在很大程度上是由其热力学稳定性条件决定的.     

Chiral-symmetry restoration in the linear sigma model at nonzero temperature and baryon density

We study the chiral phase transition in the linear sigma model with 2 quark flavors and N _c colors. One-loop calculations predict a first-order phase transition at both μ = 0 and μ ≠ 0. We also discuss the phase diagram and make a comparison with a thermal parametrization of existing heavy-ion experimental data.     

A Critical Look at Strings

Following the invitation of the editors of Foundations of Physics, I give here a personal assessment of string theory, from the point of view of an outsider, and I compare it with the theory, methods, and expectations of my own field.     

Three-dimensional Gross-Neveu model at nonzero temperature and in the presence of an external electromagnetic field

The phase structure of the (2+1)-dimensional Gross-Neveu model is considered at a nonzero temperatureT and in the presence of an external electromagnetic field. The major results are as follows: 1. AtT=0,H0 (a magnetic field), the original symmetry of the model breaks for anyH values. 2. AtT=0,E0 (an electric field) anE _c is shown to exist, such that forEE _c the original symmetry is broken, but forE>E _c the vacuum of the model is symmetric. 3. AtT0,H0, and at a fixedT value such anH _c (T) is shown to exist that forH>H _c (T) the chiral invariance of the model is spontancously broken. For any fixedH value there exists such anT _c (H) that forT>T _c (H) the symmetry restores. The phase portrait of the model is drawn.     

Vacuum phase transition at nonzero baryon density

It is argued that the dominant contribution to the interaction of quark–gluon plasma at moderate T?Tc$T?T_c$ is given by the nonperturbative vacuum field correlators. Basing on that nonperturbative equation of state of quark–gluon plasma is computed and in the lowest approximation expressed in terms of absolute values of Polyakov lines for quarks and gluons Lfund(T),Ladj(T)=(Lfund)^9/4$L_{\mathrm{fund}}(T),L_{\mathrm{adj}}(T)={(L_{\mathrm{fund}})}^{9/4}$ known from lattice and analytic calculations. Phase transition at any μ   is described as a transition due to vanishing of one of correlators, DE(x)$D^E(x)$, which implies the change of gluonic condensate ΔG₂$\mathrm{\Delta }{G}_2$. Resulting transition temperature Tc(μ)$T_c(\mu )$ is calculated in terms of ΔG₂$\mathrm{\Delta }{G}_2$ and Lfund(Tc)$L_{\mathrm{fund}}(T_c)$. The phase curve Tc(μ)$T_c(\mu )$ is in a good agreement with lattice data. In particular Tc(0)=0.27$T_c(0)=0.27$; 0.19; 0.17 GeV$0.17\text{ GeV}$ for nf=0,2,3$n_f=0,2,3$ and fixed ΔG₂=0.0035 GeV⁴$\mathrm{\Delta }{G}_2=0.0035{\text{ GeV}}^4$.     

Dissipative dynamics of superfluid vortices at nonzero temperatures

We consider the evolution and dissipation of vortex rings in a condensate at nonzero temperatures in the context of the classical field approximation, based on the defocusing nonlinear Schr?dinger equation. The temperature in such a system is fully determined by the total number density and the number density of the condensate. The collisions with noncondensed particles reduce the radius of a vortex ring until it completely disappears. We obtain a universal decay law for a vortex line length and relate it to mutual friction coefficients in the fundamental equation of vortex motion in superfluids.     

Reduction of Poisson algebras at nonzero momentum values

A reduction of a Poisson manifold using the ideal I(J) generated by the momentum map was introduced by Śniatycki and Weinstein (1983). This reduction has been extended to nonzero momentum values μ by two methods: by shifting to zero momentum on a larger space, the product with the coadjoint orbit; and by the method of Wilbour and Kimura (1991, 1993) using the modified ideal I(J − μ). It is shown that these two methods produce isomorphic reduced algebras under the assumptions that the symmetry group is connected and that the stabilizer group of μ also is connected. If the latter assumption fails, the shifted reduced algebra is isomorphic to a (possibly proper) subalgebra of the Wilbour-Kimura algebra.