Triple point of nuclear deformations

We show that the second-order phase transition between spherical and deformed shapes of atomic nuclei is an isolated point following from the Landau theory of phase transitions. This point can occur only at the junction of two or more first-order phase transitions which explains why it is associated with one special type of structure and requires the recently proposed first-order phase transition between prolate and oblate nuclear shapes. Finally, we suggest the first empirical example of a nucleus located at the isolated triple-point.     

Simple empirical order parameter for a first-order quantum phase transition in atomic nuclei

A simple, empirical, easy-to-measure effective order parameter of a first-order phase transition in atomic nuclei is presented, namely, the ratio of the energies of the first excited 6+ and 0+ states, distinguishing between first- and second-order transitions, and taking on a special value in the critical region, as data in Nd-Dy show. In the large NB limit of the interacting boson approximation model, a repeating degeneracy between alternate yrast and successive 0+ states is found in the critical region around the line of a first-order phase transition, pointing to a possible underlying symmetry.     

Configurational transitions in processes involving metal clusters

We define the configurational state of an atomic system, e.g. a cluster of metal atoms, in terms of the nuclear coordinates of a specific local minimum of the potential energy surface (PES). Three types of configurational transitions are reviewed: chemical reactions, phase transitions in clusters and catalytic chemical processes involving clusters as catalysts. The analysis of the first two cases shows that although vibrational degrees of freedom of nuclei and configurational degrees of freedom are separable in lowest order, thermal motion of nuclei nevertheless influences the rate of a configurational transition. Therefore the height of the barrier that separates configurational states of the transition for the PES differs from the effective activation energy for this transition. For example, ignoring the thermal motion of atoms in Lennard-Jones clusters leads to a predicted value of their melting points twice which accounts for the thermal motion of atoms. Hence, in determining parameters governing configurational transitions, evaluation of the PES parameters, say, within the framework of DFT (density functional theory) must be augmented by information from molecular dynamics or some other method that accounts for nuclear motion.     

Landau theory of shape phase transitions in the cranked interacting boson model

Landau theory of phase transitions is applied to quadrupole shapes of rotating atomic nuclei within the interacting boson model (IBM) with cranking. It is shown that the coherent-state method must be generalized to allow for non-Hermitian quadrupole tensors of the coherent-state coefficients, which results in important modifications of the cranking shape-phase diagram compared to previous non-IBM studies of rotating nuclei. The parameter space has two surfaces of the first-order phase transitions and a curve of the second-order phase transition at their intersection. The phase structure of the cranked IBM closely resembles systems with competing superconducting and normal phases.     

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。     

Phase transitions in angle variables

Phase transitions in angle variables are studied. An example of angular phase transition, an axially to triaxially deformed "shape" transition in nuclei, is discussed. Spectroscopic signatures for the occurrence of these transitions are suggested. Preliminary experimental evidence is presented.     

Phase relations and probabilities of α-particle formation in the surface region of even-even nuclei

The concept of the probability of formation W_c of particles in the surface region of nuclei is used in a classification of transitions of even-even deformed nuclei (226 A 254) to the first four levels of the ground-state rotational band of the daughter nuclei with allowance for coupling of the decay channels. The calculated values of W_c are compared with the analogous quantities in spherical nuclei and are used as a basis for the classification of transitions in deformed nuclei. It is concluded that the phase factors of the wave functions with L=0 and 2 are positive, while those with L=4 are positive for the investigated isotopes of Th, U, and Pu and negative for Cm, Cf, and Fm. The fractions of transitions with L=4 are predicted for a number of isotopes.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 7, pp. 49–54, July, 1980.     

Phase Transitions and Shape Coexistence in Atomic Nuclei

Physics of Atomic Nuclei - Examples of phase transitions occurring in atomic nuclei in response to an increase in the excitation energy and angular momenta and in response to a change in the number...     

Nuclear multifragmentation, its relation to general physics

Heat can flow from cold to hot at any phase separation even in macroscopic systems. Therefore also Lynden-Bell's famous gravo-thermal catastrophe must be reconsidered. In contrast to traditional canonical Boltzmann-Gibbs statistics this is correctly described only by microcanonical statistics. Systems studied in chemical thermodynamics (ChTh) by using canonical statistics consist of several homogeneous macroscopic phases. Evidently, macroscopic statistics as in chemistry cannot and should not be applied to non-extensive or inhomogeneous systems like nuclei or galaxies. Nuclei are small and inhomogeneous. Multifragmented nuclei are even more inhomogeneous and the fragments even smaller. Phase transitions of first order and especially phase separations therefore cannot be described by a (homogeneous) canonical ensemble. Taking this serious, fascinating perspectives open for statistical nuclear fragmentation as test ground for the basic principles of statistical mechanics, especially of phase transitions, without the use of the thermodynamic limit. Moreover, there is also a lot of similarity between the accessible phase space of fragmenting nuclei and inhomogeneous multistellar systems. This underlines the fundamental significance for statistical physics in general.     

"Devil's staircase"-type phase transition in NaV2O5 under high pressure

The "devil's staircase"-type phase transition in the quarter-filled spin-ladder compound NaV2O5 has been discovered at low temperature and high pressure by synchrotron radiation x-ray diffraction. A large number of transitions are found to successively take place among higher-order commensurate phases with 2a x 2b x zc type superstructures. The observed temperature and pressure dependence of modulation wave number q(c), defined by 1/z, is well reproduced by the axial next nearest neighbor Ising model. The q(c) is suggested to reflect atomic displacements presumably coupled with charge ordering in this system.     

Resonance conversion of gamma radiation in the radiative transitions between neutron resonances

The influence of the resonance conversion on the α-particle spectra in the reaction (n, α) in low-energy transitions between neutron resonances is discussed. Unusual α spectra from neutron resonances in the reaction ¹⁴⁷Sm(n, α)¹⁴⁴Nd are considered as an example of such influence. The calculation of resonance conversion coefficients was performed for the transitions from K shell in the free levels of P shell of Sm atom. The large effect of resonance in the radiative transitions for the nuclei and atomic electron shells is observed.     

Explosive percolation is continuous, but with unusual finite size behavior

We study four Achlioptas-type processes with "explosive" percolation transitions. All transitions are clearly continuous, but their finite size scaling functions are not entirely holomorphic. The distributions of the order parameter, i.e., the relative size s(max)/N of the largest cluster, are double humped. But-in contrast to first-order phase transitions-the distance between the two peaks decreases with system size N as N(-η) with η>0. We find different positive values of β (defined via (s(max)/N)～(p-p(c))β for infinite systems) for each model, showing that they are all in different universality classes. In contrast, the exponent Θ (defined such that observables are homogeneous functions of (p-p(c))N(Θ)) is close to-or even equal to-1/2 for all models.     

On the scaling of the paramagnetic susceptibility of atoms,nuclei and nucleons

The present status of the paramagnetic susceptibility of nuclei derived from measurements of magnetic dipole ground state transitions is reported. The values for nuclei are compared with corresponding values from atomic and nucleonic matter. It is found that the mean paramagnetic susceptibilities of atoms (typical values of metals are chosen for comparison), nuclei and nucleons scale with the corresponding Fermi energies.     

Macroscopic description of the ferromagnetic superconductors

We present an improved analysis of the phase transitions in spin-triplet ferromagnetic superconductors within Ginzburg–Landau theory. We put special emphasis on the phase transitions from normal phase to the mixed phase of coexistence of ferromagnetism and unconventional superconductivity. We present a detailed analysis of the different phases that can occur and analyze the question under which conditions the phase transitions from normal phase to the mixed phase of coexistence of ferromagnetism and unconventional superconductivity are possible when compared to other phase transitions. The conditions for the phase transitions and the stability conditions are calculated. On the basis of this model, it is argued that the transition from normal phase to the mixed phase of coexistence is always of first order. It was observed from the theoretical calculations that the transition from the ferromagnetic phase to the coexistence phase can cross over from the first to the second order at the tricritical point.     

Phase separation of binary systems

In this paper, three physical predictions on the phase separation of binary systems are derived based on a dynamic transition theory developed recently by the authors. First, the order of phase transitions is precisely determined by the sign of a nondimensional parameter K such that if K>0, the transition is first order with latent heat and if K<0, the transition is second order. Here the parameter K is defined in terms of the coefficients in the quadratic and cubic nonlinear terms of the Cahn-Hilliard equation and the typical length scale of the container. Second, a phase diagram is derived, characterizing the order of phase transitions, and leading in particular to a prediction that there is only a second-order transition for molar fraction near 1/2. This is different from the prediction made by the classical phase diagram. Third, a TL-phase diagram is derived, characterizing the regions of both homogeneous and separation phases and their transitions.     

Irreducible spin precession theory applied to some topics in atomic and nuclear radio-frequency spectroscopy

Several problems from radio-frequency spectroscopy of atoms and nuclei are treated with irreducible spin precession theory. In the first part, effective field techniques are used to derive analytically single and multiple quantum double resonance lineshapes for atoms with a hyperfine structure in a high magnetic field. In the second part (as an extension to previous work), nuclear resonance signals are calculated for oriented nuclei subject to an electric hexadecapole interaction. Lineshapes of acoustically driven hexadecapole transitions are derived in closed form and compared to experiment. Further, multiple quantum NMR transitions within a hexadecapole shifted nuclear Zeeman structure are calculated, and some distinct features of hexadecapole effects on NMR lineshapes are pointed out. This last case is of current interest due to recent progress in NMR-line narrowing techniques. — In the Appendix, we give lineshape equations for single and double quantum NMR transitions on oriented (I=1)-nuclei subject to an electric quadrupole interaction; these equations are also being used in the atomic rf-spectroscopy calculations. The equations are exact to all orders of the interaction with the external fields.     

The Strength of First and Second Order Phase Transitions from Partition Function Zeroes

We present a numerical technique employing the density of partition function zeroes (i) to distinguish between phase transitions of first and higher order, (ii) to examine the crossover between such phase transitions and (iii) to measure the strength of first and second order phase transitions in the form of latent heat and critical exponents. These techniques are demonstrated in applications to a number of models for which zeroes are available.     

Order-order and order-disorder transitions in the quantum spin-1 Ising-Heisenberg models

The critical properties of a quantum spin-1 ferromagnetic multidimensional Ising-Heisenberg model with uniaxial and single-ion anisotropy are examined in the framework of a mean-field approximation. A Landau free energy expansion is performed to identify critical lines and surfaces. The resulting phase diagram, defined in a three-dimensional space characterized by a single-ion anisotropy variable, a parameter measuring the interaction anisotropy and the temperature, is particularly interesting because it exhibits three different phases, one paramagnetic and two ferromagnetic; the latter two differing for the orientation of the dipolar ordering. The presence of both first order reorientation transitions (order-order transitions) and order-disorder transitions makes the present model promising for describing several physical systems.     

Thermodynamic Functions,Ionization Equilibrium and Phase Transitions in Coulomb Systems

Macroscopic matter is considered as a quantum statistical system of electrons and nuclei. After the discussion of several exact bounds and stability theorems, the low and high density structures of the thermodynamic functions (corresponding to ideal gases) are given. The intermediate regions in the density temperature plane are treated by means of thermodynamic Green functions. This requires partial summations corresponding to the effects of screening (chains), bound states (ladders), and chemical equilibria (quasi particle summations). The thermodynamic instabilities corresponding to the first order plasma phase transitions are studied for several examples.