Absence of phase transitions in certain one-dimensional long-range random systems

An Ising chain is considered with a potential of the formJ(i, j)/|i–j|, where theJ(i, j) are independent random variables with mean zero. The chain contains both randomness and frustration, and serves to model a spin glass. A simple argument is provided to show that the system does not exhibit a phase transition at a positive temperature if>1. This is to be contrasted with a ferromagnetic interaction which requires>2. The basic idea is to prove that the surfacefree energy between two half-lines is finite, although the surface energy may be unbounded. Ford-dimensional systems, it is shown that the free energy does not depend on the specific boundary conditions if>(1/2)d.     

A characterization of first-order phase transitions for superstable interactions in classical statistical mechanics

We give bounds on finite-volume expectations for a set of boundary conditions containing the support of any tempered Gibbs state and prove a theorem connecting the behavior of Gibbs states to the differentiability of the pressure for continuum statistical mechanical systems with long-range superstable potentials. Convergence of grand canonical Gibbs states is also studied.     

Weakly first-order or nearly second-order phase transitions in ammonium halides

This work is mainly concerned with the application to the ammonium chloride system of the model that was developed by Yurtseven (1993).

Using the model, which is an Ising model superimposed on an Einstein and/or Debye model, the specific heat C _v has been calculated in the vicinity of the λ-phase transition in NH₄Cl.

Our calculated C _v values give a reasonable fit to the observed more recent C _p data from the literature.

The model predictions applicable to the ammonium halides are discussed.     

Multiple phase transitions in the generalized Curie-Weiss model

The generalized Curie-Weiss model is an extension of the classical Curie-Weiss model in which the quadratic interaction function of the mean spin value is replaced by a more general interaction function. It is shown that the generalized Curie-Weiss model can have a sequence of phase transitions at different critical temperatures. Both first-order and second-order phase transitions can occur, and explicit criteria for the two types are given. Three examples of generalized Curie-Weiss models are worked out in detail, including one example with infinitely many phase transitions. A number of results are derived using large-deviation techniques.     

Finite-size,magnetic and chemical-potential effects on first-order phase transitions

We perform a study about effects of an applied magnetic field and a finite chemical potential on the size-dependent phase structure of a first-order transition. These effects are introduced by using methods of quantum fields defined on toroidal spaces, and we study in particular the case of two compactified dimensions, imaginary time and a spatial one (a heated film). It is found that for any value of the applied field, there is a minimal size of the system, independent of the chemical potential, below which the transition disappears.     

Structural phase transitions and elastic properties of zirconia

The structural phase transformations in various phases (monoclinic, ortho I, ortho II, and tetragonal) of zirconia (ZrO₂) have been investigated using an effective interionic interaction potential. The cohesive energy, the equation of state, and the elastic properties of these phases have also been studied and found to reproduce well the experimentally observed data for almost all the phases of zirconia ceramics.     

Analytic continuation at first-order phase transitions

We study the analytic structure of thermodynamic functions at first-order phase transitions in systems with short-range interactions and in particular in the two-dimensional Ising model. We analyze the nature of the approximation of the d=2 system by anN × strip. Investigation of the structure of the eigenvalues of the transfer matrix in the vicinity of H=0 in the complexH plane allows us to define a new function which provides rapidly convergent approximations to the stable free energyf and its derivatives for allH 0. This new function is used for numerical calculation of the coefficients C_n in the power series expansions of the magnetizationm in the form m(H)=1 + C_n(H-H ₀ )ⁿ for various H₀ 0. The resulting series are studied by conventional methods. We confirm recent series analysis results on the existence of the droplet model type essential singularity at H=0. Evidence is found for a spinodal at H=H_sp(Ti < 0.     

Theory of interfacial phase transitions in surfactant systems

The spin-1 Ising model, which is equivalent to the three-component lattice gas model, is used to study wetting transitions in three-component surfactant systems consisting of an oil, water, and a nonionic surfactant. Phase equilibria, interfacial profiles, and interfacial tensions for three-phase equilibrium are determined in mean field approximation, for a wide range of temperature and interaction parameters. Surfactant interaction parameters are found to strongly influence interfacial tensions, reducing them in some cases to ultralow values. Interfacial tensions are used to determine whether the middle phase, rich in surfactant, wets or does not wet the interface between the oil-rich and water-rich phases. By varying temperature and interaction parameters, a wetting transition is located and found to be of the first order. Comparison is made with recent experimental results on wetting transitions in ternary surfactant systems.This paper is dedicated to J. K. Percus in honor of his 65th birthday.     

A first-order phase transition between crystal phases in the shift model

We describe rigorously a many-body model of interacting classical particles exhibiting the following behavior at zero temperature: as the pressure varies through a critical value, the system goes through a first-order phase transition between different crystal phases. Moreover, at the critical pressure the system is demonstrably a mixture of the two phases.Supported in part by NSF Grant No. MCS81-01596.     

First order phase transitions in the antiferromagnetic Ising model on a pure Husimi lattice

The antiferromagnetic spin-1/2 Ising model on the pure Husimi lattice with three sites in the elementary polygon (p=3$p=3$) and the coordination number z=6$z=6$ is investigated which represents the simplest approximation of the antiferromagnetic Ising model on the regular triangular lattice which takes into account effects of geometric frustration. The region of parameters is found in which two physical phases coexist. In addition, the existence of the first order phase transitions between these two coexisting phases is demonstrated and investigated in detail. A detailed analysis of the magnetization properties of the model is performed and the existence of the magnetization plateaus for low temperatures is shown. All possible ground states of the model are found and discussed.     

Effects of selective dilution on phase diagram and ground-state magnetizations of an Ising antiferromagnet on triangular and honeycomb lattices

We employ an effective-field theory with correlations in order to study the phase diagram and ground-state magnetizations of a selectively diluted Ising antiferromagnet on triangular and honeycomb lattices. Dilution of different sublattices with generally unequal probabilities results in a rather intricate phase diagram in the sublattice dilution parameters space. In the case of the frustrated triangular lattice antiferromagnet the selective dilution affects the degree of frustration which can lead to some peculiar phenomena, such as reentrant behavior of long-range order or unsaturated sublattice magnetizations at zero temperature. The selectively diluted Ising antiferromagnet on the honeycomb lattice is obtained as a special case when one sublattice of the triangular lattice is completely removed by dilution.     

Phase transition in CeSe, EuSe and LaSe under high pressure

The high pressure phase transition and elastic behavior of rare earth monoselenides (CeSe, EuSe and LaSe) which crystallize in a NaCl-structure have been investigated using the three body interaction potential (TBIP) approach. These interactions arise due to the electronshell deformation of the overlapping ions in crystals. The TBP model consists of a long range Coulomb, three body interactions and the short range overlap repulsive forces operative up to the second neighboring ions. The authors of this paper estimated the values of the phase transition pressure and the associated volume collapse to be closer than other calculations. Thus, the TBIP approach also promises to predict the phase transition pressure and pressure variations of elastic constants of lanthanide compounds.      

A first-order level-2 phase transition in thermodynamic formalism

We show the existence of a phase transition at the level of measures for the generalized dimension of the maximal entropy measure in a model that was considered by F. Hofbauer and which is related to a model of M. Fisher. The model presented here is related to the one-dimensional Ising model in which a wall effect is assumed. In this situation, the problem has to be considered in the one-dimensional lattice . In general there is no first-order transition for the Ising model in the lattice , but under our assumptions such transitions can occur. The Ising model has the purpose of explaining the magnetization of ferromagnetic systems at low temperatures. The main difference of our result from a previous result of F. Hofbauer is that the transition is analyzed in the setting of the generalized dimension. This setting is more closely related to the observables. The main purpose of this paper is to explain another mathematical model for phase transition using the mathematical results obtained by F. Hofbauer. We also use results of the thermodynamic formalism in an essential way.     

Analogy between first-order phase transitions and blackbody radiation

The analogy between blackbody radiation and a phase equilibrium between vapor and liquid is drawn by deriving the Clapeyron equation in which the two probability distributions of blackbody radiation play the role of the two phases. The pressure of one of these distributions, which becomes negative at sufficiently high photon energies, is analogous to a negative pressure tending to break up a liquid. A similar type of critical phenomenon should be observed for blackbody radiation.     

On the application of the critical minimum energy subspace method to disordered systems

We discuss the recent application to strongly disordered systems of the Critical Minimum Energy Subspace (CrMES) method, used to limit the energy subspace of the Wang-Landau sampling. We compare with our results on the 3D random field Ising model obtained by a multi-range Wang-Landau simulation over the whole energy range. We point out some problems that may arise when applying the CrMES scheme to models having a complex free energy landscape.     

Crossover finite-size scaling at first-order transitions

In a recent paper we developed a method which allows one to control rigorously the finite-size behavior in long cylinders near first-order phase transitions at low temperature. Here we apply this method to asymmetric transitions with two competing phases, and to theq-state Potts model as a typical model of a temperature-driven transition, whereq low-temperature phases compete with one high-temperature phase. We obtain the finite-size scaling of the firstN eigenvalues (whereN is the number of competing phases) of the transfer matrix in a periodic box of volumeL × ... ×L ×t, and, as a corollary, the finite-size scaling of the shape of the order parameter in a hypercubic box (t=L), the infinite cylinder (t=), and the crossover regime from hypercubic to cylindrical scaling. For the two-phase case (N=2 we find that the crossover length _L is given by O(L^w)exp(L^v), where is the inverse temperature, is the surface tension, and w=1/2 if v+1=2 whilew=0 if v+1 >2. For the standard Ising model we also consider free boundary conditions, showing that _L=exp[L^v+O(L^v– 1)] for any dimension v+12. For v+1=2 we finally discuss a class of boundary conditions which interpolate between free (corresponding to the interpolating parameter g=0) and periodic boundary conditions (corresponding to g=1), finding that _L=O(L^w)exp(L ^v) withw=0 forg=0 andw=1/2 for 0<g1.