Phase transitions in two-dimensional uniformly frustratedXY models. II. General scheme

For two-dimensional uniformly frustratedXY models the group of symmetry spontaneously broken in the ground state is a cross product of the group of two-dimensional rotations by some discrete group of finite order. Different possibilities of phase transitions in such systems are investigated. The transition to the Coulomb gas with noninteger charges is widely used when analyzing the properties of relevant topological excitations. The number of these excitations includes not only domain walls and traditional (integer) vortices, but also vortices with a fractional number of circulation quanta which are to be localized at bends and intersections of domain walls. The types of possible phase transitions prove to be dependent on their relative sequence: in the case the vanishing of domain wall free energy occurs earlier (at increasing temperature) than the dissociation of pairs of ordinary vortices, the second phase transition is to be associated with dissociation of pairs of fractional vortices. The general statements are illustrated with a number of examples.     

Domain dynamics and magneto-electronics in magnetic thin films and nanowires

Recent theoretical results are highlighted that illustrate some of the interesting phenomena associated with magnetic domain boundary walls. Two problems will be discussed: dynamics associated with domain wall propagation, and effects related to spin transport through domain walls. For the first problem, an example of wall interaction and motion through a random potential will be discussed with reference to the general problem of roughening transitions. Images of domain dynamics in thin films of ion irradiated Co reveal a de-roughening transition associated with long range magnetostatic interactions between pairs of domain walls. A scaling theory of this transition is described in which a curious type of dynamic hysteresis can occur. For the second problem, results from calculations of ballistic charge and spin transport through domain boundary walls are discussed in terms of an effective circuit model.     

Renormalization and quantum effects in a two-dimensional planar model

We examine the influence of the charging energy on the vortex unbinding transition in two-dimensional arrays of Josephson junctions. The fluctuations of the phase about the time-dependent vortex solutions are treated within the self-consistent harmonic approximation. A new relation between the renormalized vortex unbinding temperature T_c and the charging energy U is derived. We predict a continuous drop of T_c at a critical value of U well below the spurious first order transition of the rigidity constant. The results are interpreted as a quantum assisted dissociation of vortex pairs.     

Discontinuous unbinding of lipid multibilayers

We have observed a discontinuous unbinding transition of lipid bilayer stacks composed of phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylglycerol using x-ray diffraction. The unbinding is reversible and coincides with the main (L(beta)-->L(alpha)) transition of the lipid mixture. Interbilayer interaction potentials deduced from the diffraction data reveal that the bilayers in the L(beta) phase are only weakly bound. The unbinding transition appears to be driven by an abrupt increase in steric repulsion resulting from increased thermal undulations of the bilayers upon entering the fluid L(alpha) phase.     

Spontaneous phase transitions in ferrite garnet films

Spontaneous phase transitions in ferrite garnet films have been studied. It has been shown that, with variations in the temperature, domain walls undergo phase transitions which cause spontaneous phase transitions in the lattice of cylindrical magnetic domains. The phase transition in a domain wall causes a spin-reorientation phase transition over the whole sample near the magnetic compensation point. The character of the phase transition in the domain wall determines the mechanism of the spin-reorientation phase transition.     

Domain wall delocalization,dynamics and fluctuations in an exclusion process with two internal states

We investigate the delocalization transition appearing in an exclusion process with two internal states, respectively on two parallel lanes. At the transition, delocalized domain walls form in the density profiles of both internal states, in agreement with a mean-field approach. Remarkably, the topology of the system’s phase diagram allows for the delocalization of a (localized) domain wall when approaching the transition. We quantify the domain wall’s delocalization close to the transition by analytic results obtained within the framework of the domain wall picture. Power law dependences of the domain wall width on the distance to the delocalization transition as well as on the system size are uncovered, they agree with numerical results.     

Domain walls in antiferromagnetically coupled multilayer films

We report experimentally observed magnetic domain-wall structures in antiferromagnetically coupled multilayer films with perpendicular anisotropy. Our studies reveal a first-order phase transition from domain walls with no net moment to domain walls with ferromagnetic cores. The transition originates from the competition between dipolar and exchange energies, which we tune by means of layer thickness. Although observed in a synthetic antiferromagnetic system, such domain-wall structures may be expected to occur in A-type antiferromagnets with anisotropic exchange coupling.     

Transition to linear domain walls in nanoconstrictions

Domain walls in nanoconstrictions are investigated with a focus on thermal properties. In general, the magnetization component perpendicular to the easy axis which in a domain wall usually occurs has a value different from the easy-axis bulk magnetization value with a separate phase transition at a critical temperature below the Curie temperature. Since this effect is the more pronounced the smaller the domain wall width is, we investigate it especially in domain walls with a confined geometry, using analytical arguments, mean-field theory, and Monte Carlo simulations. Our findings may contribute to the understanding of magnetoresistive effects in domain walls with sizes of only a few atomic layers, as, e.g., in nanocontacts or nanoconstrictions.     

MS-Windows software for space groups: Application to domain structure symmetry analysis

An integrated package of programs has been developed for IBM-Compatible PCs to investigate the structures and representations of crystallographic space groups. The package is implemented as a Microsoft Windows application using Borland Delphi with user code in Object-Pascal.

Parts of this software have been adapted to assist in the symmetry analysis of domain structures. For a given phase transition the software identifies all domain states and finds, e.g. (i) symmetry groups of all domain states, (ii) all operations that transform a given domain state into another domain state, (iii) classes of crystallographically equivalent domain pairs with similar domain distinction, (iv) symmetries of ordered and unordered domain pairs, (v) twinning groups of domain pairs and associated minimal permutable sets of domain states, (vi) intermediate groups of the inverse twinning problem.

As an illustrative example of the use of the software we consider the symmetry analysis of domain structures in the 2H polytype TaSe₂.     

High-temperature memory in multiferroic cobalt–bromine boracite

The observation of the domain dynamics of the ferroelectric–ferroelastic domains near the paraelectric–ferroelectric phase transition is reported. The study was performed by means of high-temperature polarized light microscopy. Close to the phase transition an increase in the number of domain walls was observed. After several heating–cooling cycles around the transition temperature, a memory domain microstructure at high temperature was observed. The possible physical mechanisms responsible for the high-temperature domain dynamics are discussed. Using a complex systems approach the complexity of the domain behavior is characterized.     

Simulation of first order confinement transition in relativistic heavy ion collision

We have carried out numerical simulation of first order phase transition in 2+1 dimensions to study the formation and evolution of Z(3) domain walls in relativistic Heavy Ion Collision using the effective potential proposed by Pisarski for QCD where Polyakov loop is the order parameter of the weak first order phase transition. Bubbles of the QGP phase are randomly nucleated on the lattice, which grow and coalesce. The spontaneous breaking of Z(3) symmetry in QGP phase gives rise to domain walls and topological strings. We discuss P _T enhancement due to reflection of quarks from the collapsing domain walls. We also discuss enhancement of doubly strange and triply strange hadrons due to larger concentration of s quarks inside collapsing wall. The decay of the domain walls when temperature drops below T _c results in the fluctuations of energy density.     

Helfrich repulsion and dynamical phase separation of multicomponent lipid bilayers

Thermal fluctuations of surfactant bilayers in an aqueous solution produce an effective, long-range repulsion that can lead to a continuous unbinding transition. We report on an optical interferometry study of the thermal fluctuations of multicomponent bilayers close to the unbinding transition. We find that, in contrast to the case of single-component bilayers, the thermal fluctuation spectrum of multicomponent bilayers does not agree with a continuous unbinding transition but instead indicates the proximity of an unbinding tricritical point.     

Domain-wall mechanism of nucleation in a magnetic structural phase transition in La<Subscript>2</Subscript>CuO<Subscript>4</Subscript>

The structure of domain walls and new-phase nucleation are investigated in a four-sublattice antiferromagnet (AFM) of the La₂CuO₄ type placed in a magnetic field which initiates an AFM-weak-ferromagnet (WFM) magnetic structural phase transition. The critical fields for nucleus growth are found in the case of two types of domain walls present. The magnetization curve is calculated and a two-step mechanism is proposed for the AFM-WFM phase transition observed in La₂CuO₄.     

Dynamics of interphase domain walls during a Morin-type phase transition

The dynamics of 90-degree interphase domain walls during a first-order Morin-type spin-reorientation phase transition is studied theoretically. It is shown that an oscillatory motion of the walls with an amplitude that depends linearly on the field amplitude, as well as a drift motion of the wall at a velocity proportional to the square of the field amplitude, are driven by an external oscillating magnetic field. Drift of the entire domain structure as a whole is predicted to be possible. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 41, 274–282 (February 1999)     

Dynamics of domain walls in pattern formation with traveling-wave forcing

We study dynamics of domain walls in pattern forming systems that are externally forced by a moving space-periodic modulation close to 2:1 spatial resonance. The motion of the forcing induces nongradient dynamics, while the wave number mismatch breaks explicitly the chiral symmetry of the domain walls. The combination of both effects yields an imperfect nonequilibrium Ising-Bloch bifurcation, where all kinks (including the Ising-like one) drift. Kink velocities and interactions are studied within the generic amplitude equation. For nonzero mismatch, a transition to traveling bound kink-antikink pairs and chaotic wave trains occurs.     

KINK AND PHASE TRANS ITION IN THREE-DIMENSIONASLY STEM WITH DOUBLE-WELL POTENTIAL

This paper is a generalization of an article on the twodimensional system, in which the kink and phase transition were treated at a unified level. As in the two-dimensional case,there are two sorts of kink which correspond to domain walls with 90° and 180° transition angle. But unlike the two-dimensional case, there are two types of phase transition, one of which is displacive and the other is of order-disorder.     

Simulation of magnetization reversal processes in finite ferromagnets with defects

The magnetization and magnetization reversal processes that occur through the mechanism of incoherent rotation of magnetic moments in cubic ferromagnets with limited sizes are investigated theoretically. It is established that the appropriate model representation of magnetic inhomogeneities arising in the region of defects is provided by 0° domain walls. The influence of the external magnetic field on the structure and the stability region of the 0° domain walls is determined. This makes it possible to reveal the characteristic features of the magnetization reversal of real crystals as a function of the material and defect parameters, in particular, in the vicinity of the spin-reorientation phase transition.     

Pair superfluidity of three-body constrained bosons in two dimensions

We examine the equilibrium properties of lattice bosons with attractive on-site interactions in the presence of a three-body hard-core constraint that stabilizes the system against collapse and gives rise to a dimer superfluid phase. Employing quantum Monte Carlo simulations, the ground state phase diagram of this system on the square lattice is analyzed. In particular, we study the quantum phase transition between the atomic and dimer superfluid regime and analyze the nature of the superfluid-insulator transitions. Evidence is provided for the existence of a tricritical point along the saturation transition line, where the transition changes from being first order to a continuous transition of the dilute Bose gas of holes. The Berzinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition from the dimer superfluid to the normal fluid is found to be consistent with an anomalous stiffness jump, as expected from the unbinding of half-vortices.     

有电畴的铁电薄膜中的相变

本文用朗道自由能展开研究了有电畴的铁电薄膜的相变特性。畴壁的存在使自发极化和居里温度降低,使临界尺寸增大。随着温度升高,反转长度离开表面。随着厚度减小,膜将成为单畴。 关键词：