Density-Functional Fidelity Approach to Quantum Phase Transitions

We propose a new approach to quantum phase transitions in terms of the density-functional fidelity, which measures the similarity between density distributions of two ground states in parameter space. The key feature of the approach is such that the density-functional fidelity can be measured easily in experiments. Both the validity and versatility of the approach are checked by the Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick model and the one-dimensional Hubbard model.     

Quantum Phase Transitions in Conventional Matrix Product Systems

For matrix product states(MPSs) of one-dimensional spin-\(\frac {1}{2}\) chains, we investigate a new kind of conventional quantum phase transition(QPT). We find that the system has two different ferromagnetic phases; on the line of the two ferromagnetic phases coexisting equally, the system in the thermodynamic limit is in an isolated mediate-coupling state described by a paramagnetic state and is in the same state as the renormalization group fixed point state, the expectation values of the physical quantities are discontinuous, and any two spin blocks of the system have the same geometry quantum discord(GQD) within the range of open interval (0,0.25) and the same classical correlation(CC) within the range of open interval (0,0.75) compared to any phase having no any kind of correlation. We not only realize the control of QPTs but also realize the control of quantum correlation of quantum many-body systems on the critical line by adjusting the environment parameters, which may have potential application in quantum information fields and is helpful to comprehensively and deeply understand the quantum correlation, and the organization and structure of quantum correlation especially for long-range quantum correlation of quantum many-body systems.     

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.     

Continuous Phase Transitions for Dynamical Systems

We study the asymptotic expansion of the topological pressure of one–parameter families of potentials at a point of non-analyticity. The singularity is related qualitatively and quantitatively to non–Gaussian limit laws and to slow decay of correlations with respect to the equilibrium measure.This work was partially supported by NSF grant DMS–0400687.Dedicated to Y. Pesin on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Phase Transitions in Layered Systems

We consider the Ising model on \(\mathbb Z\times \mathbb Z\) where on each horizontal line \(\{(x,i), x\in \mathbb Z\}\) , called “layer”, the interaction is given by a ferromagnetic Kac potential with coupling strength \(J_{ \gamma }(x,y)={ \gamma }J({ \gamma }(x-y))\) , where \(J(\cdot )\) is smooth and has compact support; we then add a nearest neighbor ferromagnetic vertical interaction of strength \({ \gamma }^{A}\) , where \(A\ge 2\) is fixed, and prove that for any \(\beta \) larger than the mean field critical value there is a phase transition for all \({ \gamma }\) small enough.     

Decoherence and Phase Transitions in Quantum Dynamics

A particle with internal degrees of freedom is in contact with a bath of photons (necessitating a relativistic treatment). The occurrence of decoherence is established and the density matrix is found to be diagonal in momentum space. In the case of non-trivial internal degrees of freedom and selection rules there is a first order phase transition separating those degrees of freedom. Finally, because probability amplitudes become probabilities, Einstein’s proposal that more than one detector could respond to a signal is answered.

     

Quantum Phase Transitions in Matrix Product States

We present a new general and much simpler scheme to construct various quantum phase transitions （Q, PTs） in spin chain systems with matrix product ground states. By use of the scheme we take into account one kind of matrix product state （MPS） OPT and provide a concrete model. We also study the properties of the concrete example and show that a kind of Q, PT appears, accompanied by the appearance of the discontinuity of the parity absent block physical observable, diverging correlation length only for the parity absent block operator, and other properties which are that the fixed point of the transition point is an isolated intermediate-coupling fixed point of renormalization flow and the entanglement entropy of a half-infinite chain is discontinuous.     

Phase Transitions in Self-Driven Many-Particle Systems and Related Non-Equilibrium Models: A Network Approach

We investigate the conditions that produce a phase transition from an ordered to a disordered state in a family of models of two-dimensional elements with a ferromagnetic-like interaction. This family is defined to contain under the same framework, among others, the XY-model and the Self-Driven Particles Model introduced by Vicsek et al. Each model is distinguished only by the rules that determine the set of elements with which each element interacts. We propose a new member of the family: the vectorial network model, in which a given fraction of the elements interact through direct random connections. This model is analogous to an XY-system on a network, and as such can be of interest for a wide range of problems. It captures the main aspects of the interaction dynamics that produce the phase transition in other models of the family. The network approach allows us to show analytically the existence of a phase transition in this vectorial network model, and to compute its relevant parameters for the case in which all elements are randomly connected. Finally we study numerically the conditions required for a phase transition to exist for different members of the family. Our results show that a qualitatively equivalent phase transition appears whenever even a small amount of long-range interactions are present (or built over time), regardless of other equilibrium or non-equilibrium properties of the system.     

有限玻色子系统中的激发态量子相变

为了探讨原子核系统中存在激发态量子相变的可能性,在相互作用玻色子模型框架下对有限玻色子系统中的激发态量子相变现象进行唯象分析,特别是针对角动量和有限N效应如何影响U（5）-SU（3）和SU（3）-O（6）过渡区中的激发态量子相变行为进行了系统研究。结果表明,低角动量振动谱中的激发态量子相变特征在现实玻色子数情况下可以很好地保持,但随着角动量增加相变特征逐渐消失。In this work, a phenomenological analysis of the excited-state quantum phase transitions (ESQPTs) in the finite-N boson system has been carried out within the interacting boson model in order to reveal the possibility of finding ESQPTs in nuclear systems. Particularly, the angular momentum and finite-N effects on the ESQPTs in the U(5)-SU(3) and SU(3)-O(6) transitional regions have been systematically investigated. The results indicate that the main features of ESQPTs can be well preserved even at a realistic boson number for small angular momentum but will gradually disappear as the angular momentum increases.     

Fluctuations-Inclusive Approach to Phase Transitions in Binary Mixtures

The hierarchical reference theory of fluids (HRT) is applied to the study of the phase diagram of binary mixtures of simple fluids. This approach implements the renormalization group machinery into a liquid-state theory in order to systematically deal with the effect of long-range correlations which play a crucial role in the onset of criticality and phase separation. The effect of fluctuations is embodied in a partial differential equation (PDE) for the free energy of the mixture. Recently, a robust numerical algorithm has been developed which enabled us to integrate this PDE on a substantial density mesh even at low temperature, when the coexistence region spreads over most of the density– concentration plane.We have considered a model mixture of spherical particles interacting via a hard-core plus attractive tail potential, and adjusted the particle diameters ₁, ₂ and the strengths of the attractive interactions ₁₁, ₂₂, ₁₂ so as to mimic mixtures of simple fluids such as argon–krypton or neon–krypton. In the latter case the theory reproduces the occurrence of a minimum in the critical temperature (the so-called critical double point) and of immiscibility at high pressure. We have also studied the phase diagram of a symmetric mixture such that ₁= ₂ and ₁₁= ₂₂ as the ratio = ₁₂/ ₁₁ is varied. In particular, we find that, in agreement with the mean-field picture, by decreasing , a critical endpoint occurring at equal species concentration is turned into a tricritical point. An interesting feature of the HRT is that, whenever phase coexistence occurs, the conditions of phase equilibria are implemented by the theory itself, without any need of enforcing them a posteriori. This allows one to straightforwardly map the phase diagram and the critical lines of the mixture.     

Quantum Phase Transitions in Anisotropic Spin Ladders with Antiferromagnetic Rungs

We apply perturbation theory to study quantum phase transitions in anisotropic two-leg spin ladders with antiferromagnetic rungs in the strong interchain coupling limit. The energy gap is expanded up to the fourth order in the ratio of the intrachain to interchain couplings. The transition point is determined by examing the disappearance of the energy gap. Present results for the anisotropic ferromagnetic-leg spin ladder are consistent qualitatively with the nonlinear σ-model analysis and in good agreement with the numerical results by the diagonalization method.     

Quantum Phase Transitions and Dimerized Phases in Frustrated Spin Ladder

In this paper, we study the phase diagram of a frustrated spin ladder model by applying the bosonization technique and the density-matrix renormalization-group (DMRG) algorithm. Effect of the intra-chain next-nearest-neighbor (NNN) super-exchange interaction is investigated in detail and the order parameters are calculated to detect the emergence of the dimerized phases. We find that the intra-chain NNN interaction plays a key role in inducing dimerized phases.     

Phase Portraits of Quantum Systems

We formulate a general approach to construct phase portraits of a quantum system in the Fock–Bargmann space. This approach is applied to simple model problems and two-cluster nuclei as well.     

Understanding Quantum Phase Transitions,edited by Lincoln Carr

The concept of the superdeformed shape is first introduced classically as the most stable configuration of a rapidly rotating deformable body and is then applied to nuclei. The shape of nuclei are determined by a competition between the collective energy of the core, to which classical considerations apply quite well, and the quantal energies of the valence nucleons, which may be evaluated by the Nilsson model. The result of this competition is that slowly rotating nuclei can be either oblate or prolate but rapidly rotating nuclei can have a superdeformed prolate shape, with a 2:1 ratio of axes particularly favoured.

The evidence for superdeformation in nuclei is described under four headings. Firstly, some light nuclei are superdeformed in their ground state or in an excited state. Secondly, some nuclei pass through a well defined superdeformed shape on the way to fission. Thirdly, studies of the excitation functions of elastic and inelastic scattering of identical heavy ions provide evidence of a nuclear molecule in a superdeformed shape. Finally, recent analyses of gamma rays from nuclei formed in a very high spin state by a heavy ion collision provide conclusive evidence for superdeformation.     

Dynamic Opalescence upon Phase Transitions and in Inhomogeneous Systems

The temperature isofrequency dependences of Raman intensities are studied in a number of crystals (lithium tantalate, barium sodium niobate, barium titanate, and quartz) in the low-frequency range near the structural phase-transition points. In the case of ferroelectrics, poly- and single-domain single crystals are studied with a stationary electric field applied to the sample. A drastic increase in the intensity of the quasielastic (low-frequency) light scattering is found when approaching the phase-transition point. The studies are carried out for the 90° scattering geometry as well as at angles close to 180° (backscattering geometry). The anomalies of the quasielastic light scattering near the points of phase transition are observed in the latter case. The position of the maximum intensity of the isofrequency dependence on the temperature scale is found to be dependent on the frequency value = ₀ – (₀ and are the frequency of exciting radiation and the frequency to which the monochromator is tuned, respectively). A theory explaining satisfactorily the observed effect of dynamic opalescence near the phase-transition points in crystals is developed. The specific features of light scattering in an inhomogeneous medium as well as the dynamic properties of the model of such a medium in the form of periodically arranged microresonators are studied. Additional vibrational branches (superlattice vibrations) are shown to be formed in such a medium under certain conditions. These branches give rise to a central peak and strongly affect the characteristics of the structural phase transition depending on the microresonator dimensions. The observing conditions of the dynamic opalescence in inhomogeneous media by the isochronous spectroscopy technique upon pulsed laser excitation are analyzed.