Mean-field theory for quenched reduced large-N gauge model

The reduced model à la Eguchi and Kawai, its quenched version and the Wilson theory in the string variable representation are studied by employing the loop expansion around the mean field. The spontaneous breakdown of the U(1)^d symmetry in the Eguchi-Kawai model is thoroughly investigated. It is shown that the quenched reduced model undergoes the first-order phase transition in excellent agreement with the Monte Carlo data. The quenched reduced model is shown to be equivalent to the standard Wilson theory by comparing with the string variable Wilson theory at any finite order in the loop expansion in the large-N limit.     

Phase transition over the gauge group center and quark confinement in QCD

A lattice gauge model with the phase transition corresponding to spontaneous breakdown of the group center symmetry is considered. The possible continuum limit in a phase with permanently confined quarks is discussed.     

New phase in the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model for nonzero values of the chemical potential

It is shown that in the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model with nonzero chemical potential there exist two different phases with spontaneous breaking of chiral symmetry and the transition between the phases is a second-order phase transition. The particle number density is nonzero in one phase and identically zero in the other phase. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 64, No. 5, 313–318 (10 September 1996)     

Topological solitons in three-band superconductors with broken time reversal symmetry

We show that three-band superconductors with broken time reversal symmetry allow magnetic flux-carrying stable topological solitons. They can be induced by fluctuations or quenching the system through a phase transition. It can provide an experimental signature of the time reversal symmetry breakdown.     

Phase Diagram of 2 × 2 Adsorbates at Surfaces with Hexagonal Symmetry

The phase diagram of a lattice-gas model for 2 2 2 adsorbates at surfaces with hexagonal symmetry has been investigated by Monte Carlo simulations. The model relies on repulsive interactions between the particles for distances up to second nearest neighbor sites. It is shown that first- or second-order phase transitions take place depending on the strength of the interactions. Strong first- or second-neighbor interactions are responsible for a first-order transition while for intermediate interaction strength a second-order transition is possible. The critical exponent for the susceptibility shows the expected value of the four-states Potts model in case of a second-order transition. The value of the critical exponent is reduced when the transition changes from first to second order.     

Chiral phase transition at finite temperature in the linear sigma model

We study the chiral phase transition at finite temperature in the linear sigma model by employing a self-consistent Hartree approximation. This approximation is introduced by imposing self-consistency conditions on the effective meson mass equations which are derived from the finite temperature one-loop effective potential. It is shown that in the limit of vanishing pion mass, namely when the chiral symmetry is exact, the phase transition becomes a weak first order accompanying a gap in the order parameter as a function of temperature. This is caused by the long range fluctuations of meson fields whose effective masses become small in the transition region. It is shown, however, that with an explicit chiral symmetry breaking term in the Lagrangian which generates the realistic finite pion mass the transition is smoothed out irrespective of the choice of coupling strength. Recieved: 19 September 1997 / Revised version: 30 October 1997     

Coexistence of color superconductivity and chiral symmetry breaking within the NJL model

The phase diagram for quark matter is investigated within a simple Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model without vector correlations. It is found that the phase structure in the temperature-density plane depends sensitively on the parametrization of the model. We present two schemes of parametrization of the model where, within the first one, a first-order phase transition from a phase with broken chiral symmetry to a color superconducting phase for temperatures below the triple point at T _t = 55 MeV occurs, whereas for the second one a second-order phase transition for temperatures below T _t = 7 MeV is found. In the latter case, there is also a coexistence phase of broken chiral symmetry with color superconductivity, which is a new finding within this class of models. Possible consequences for the phenomenology of the QCD phase transition at high baryon densities are discussed. Received: 3 January 2003 / Accepted: 21 February 2003 / Published online: 24 April 2003     

The spontaneous coherent state transition in the ϕ4-field model with an image mass

It is shown, that in the ?⁴-field model with an image mass (μ²<0) the phase transition is a spontaneous coherent state (SCS) phase transition. The connection between the spontaneous symmetry breaking, the coherent state and the phenomenological Ginzburg-Landau theory is shown.     

Symmetry behavior in gauge theories

A theory of phase transition with symmetry restoration in gauge theories at high temperature is investigated. The phase transition may be of the first or of the second order depending on relations between coupling constants. It is noted that the possible existense of a limiting temperature cannot prevent the high-temperature symmetry restoration. In the theories without neutral currents, symmetry also can be affected by a magnetic field. However in most of the models with neutral currents symmetry restoration takes place not due to a magnetic field but due to massive vector fields, created simultaneously by the magnetic field sources. It is pointed out that in most of the theories with neutral currents an increase of external currents lead to symmetry restoration, while an increase of density results in a further increase of symmetry breaking. In some cases critical values of temperature and external fields and currents appear to be extremely small. At certain relations between coupling constants radiative corrections lead to the absence of symmetry breaking in gauge theories even at zero temperature and in the absence of any other external factors. Strong constraints on masses and coupling constants for the symmetry in the Higgs model to be broken are obtained. It is shown that energy of substance is nonconserved due to energy “pumping” from the non-observable Bose-condensate in the processes under consideration.     

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.     

Discussion of the structure of nuclear rotation at high angular momenta

A schematic two-level model is introduced and developed in order to describe the nuclear rotation at high angular momenta. For this problem there exists a symmetry of the Lie algebra belonging to the group R(8). The implications of this symmetry including various subalgebras of R(8) corresponding to different particular cases are studied. It is found that the model is able to describe qualitatively (i) the phase transition from the superfluid to the normal state, (ii) the band structure in the region above the phase transition, and (iii) the retardation of the gamma transitions across the phase transition.     

Magnetic catalysis and magnetic oscillations in the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model

The phase structure of the four-dimensional Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model in the presence of a chemical potential μ and an external magnetic field H is investigated at comparatively small values of the bare coupling constant (G<G _c). It is shown that only for magnetic-field strengths in excess of some critical value H _c(μ) does the magnetic field induce a spontaneous breakdown of chiral symmetry. On the phase portrait of the model, there are infinitely many massless chiral-invariant phases; in addition, there is one massive phase characterized by spontaneously broken chiral invariance. It is because of this phase structure of the system that some physical features of its ground state, including magnetization, pressure, and particle density, oscillate as H → 0. Changes in the vacuum properties of the model are accompanied by first-or second-order phase transitions.     

Topological spin Hall states, charged skyrmions, and superconductivity in two dimensions

We study the properties of two dimensional topological spin Hall insulators which arise through spontaneous breakdown of spin symmetry in systems that are spin rotation invariant. Such a phase breaks spin rotation but not time reversal symmetry and has a vector order parameter. Skyrmion configurations in this vector order parameter are shown to have an electric charge that is twice the electron charge. When the spin Hall order is destroyed by condensation of Skyrmions superconductivity results. This may happen either through doping or at fixed filling by tuning interactions to close the Skyrmion gap. In the latter case the superconductor-spin Hall insulator quantum phase transition can be second order even though the two phases break distinct symmetries.     

Nonsingular cosmological models: the massive scalar field case

The nonminimal coupling of a massive self-interacting scalar field with a gravitational field is studied. Spontaneous symmetry breaking occurs in the open universe even when the sign on the mass term is positive. In contrast to grand unified theories, symmetry breakdown is more important for the early universe and it is restored only in the limit of an infinite expansion. Symmetry breakdown is shown to occur in flat and closed universes when the mass term carries a wrong sign. The model has a naturally defined effective gravitational coupling coefficient which is rendered time-dependent due to the novel symmetry breakdown. It changes sign below a critical value of the cosmic scale factor indicating the onset of a repulsive field. The presence of the mass term severely alters the behaviour of ordinary matter and radiation in the early universe. The total energy density becomes negative in a certain domain. These features make possible a nonsingular cosmological model for an open universe. The model is also free from the horizon and the flatness problems.     

Phase transition and 1/N expansion in (2+1)-dimensional supersymmetric sigma models

Three-dimensional supersymmetric generalized non-linear sigma models are shown to exhibit second-order phase transition due to spontaneous breakdown of the internal symmetry below a critical value of the coupling constant. Supersymmetry remains unbroken in both phases. Supergraph diagram technique of the corresponding 1/N expansion and the particle spectrum are derived.     

Critical behavior of RMn2O5 oxides near the magnetic phase transition to a structure incommensurate in two spatial directions

A phase transition from the paramagnetic state to the long-period magnetic structure in RMn₂O₅ oxides with the star of the wave vector determining the incommensurability of long-range magnetic order in two spatial directions has been investigated. An effective Hamiltonian of the system that allows one to describe this transition in the framework of the renormalization group approach has been constructed. It has been shown that there is a stable critical point of transformations of this group at which there occurs a second-order phase transition. The critical indices have been found. The obtained results have been compared with the results for phase transitions occurring in these oxides in accordance with the star of the wave vector, which provides incommensurability in one of the spatial directions. It has been found that fluctuations of the four-component order parameter due to the low spatial symmetry of these compounds do not change the order of the phase transition, which was found in terms of the Landau theory.     

A Quenched Study for QCD Phase-Transition on Anisotropic Lattices

The QCD deconfinement phase transition in pure SU(3) gauge theory is studied on an anisotropic lattice. The critical temperature is determined to be T_c ≈ 285 MeV. The relation between the deconfinement phase transition and the breakdown of Z(3) center symmetry is also discussed.     

Orientational states of C60 molecule in crystals

Local symmetry of orientational states of the C₆₀ molecule in crystals has been investigated. It was shown that the various orientational phase transitions in different crystals are related to different orientational orbits. The model of orientational phase transitions based on a sequence of orientational states with different symmetry properties has been suggested. We have found that both the local symmetry of C₆₀ molecule and the symmetry of its internal vibrations become higher after a reduction of crystal spatial symmetry at the phase transition. This effect is fairly common and can be observed in the orientational order-disorder phase transitions with wave vectors at the Brillouin zone boundary. Feasible manifestations of the predicted effect in various experiments are discussed. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 113, 1081–1093 (March 1998)     

Equilibrium states of a dimer model with angular forces

Several complementary techniques are applied to the study of the orientational transition in a restricted lattice model of rigid linear dimers with finite interactions between contiguous molecules, on the square lattice. The restriction has the effect of forcing the ordered phase to resemble either a smectic or a nematic liquid crystal. It is shown that the symmetry of the equilibrium state is broken for some interactions and that the equilibrium state is unique for others. Thermodynamic analyticity is established for high temperatures.