Phase coexistence and a critical point in ultracold neutral plasmas

We show the existence of the liquid-vapor phase coexistence and a critical point for strongly coupled ions in ultracold neutral (UCN) plasmas. Expressions for the free energy of UCN plasmas and an equation of state for the ions are obtained in the mean field approximation. A van der Waals-like isotherm shows the existence of a critical point in UCN plasmas. Depending on the ion temperature, the ions are shown to exist in a mixed vapor-liquid phase for a range of the ion Coulomb coupling parameter Γ(i) (defined by the ratio between the ion interaction and the ion kinetic energies), and in a strongly coupled liquid state for values of Γ(i) above this range. The estimates of critical constants show that it may be possible to observe these phenomena in the present day UCN plasmas.     

Tuning phase transitions and realization of special thermodynamic states in alcohol-water mixtures by the addition of ions

We demonstrate with the aid of visual investigations that multiply reentrant liquid-liquid transitions can be obtained in ethyl alcohol (E) - water (W) mixtures, by the addition of ions. Multiplicity of reentrance can be tuned by changing the concentration, size, or the structure forming ability of the ions added. This is a route to the realization of various thermodynamic states, such as special critical points (SCPs), in the vanishing limit of reentrance. We show that in E+W+ ion systems, one can achieve a plait point, a critical double point, a double critical point, and a critical inflection point, in addition to a line of critical points. We adduce evidence for the presence of supramolecular structures and the associated nanoscopic length scale in these systems, by small angle X-ray scattering experiments. Structuring gives rise to the intriguing phase behavior and renders these systems potentially significant to study the role of supramolecular structuring on the approach to asymptotic Ising criticality near SCPs.     

Scaling in four-dimensional quantum gravity

We discuss scaling relations in four-dimensional simplicial quantum gravity. Using numerical results obtained with a new algorithm called “baby universe surgery” we study the critical region of the theory. The position of the phase transition is given with high accuracy and some critical exponents are measured. Their values prove that the transition is continuous. We discuss the properties of two distinct phases of the theory. For large values of the bare gravitational coupling constant the internal Hausdorff dimension is two (the elongated phase), and the continuum theory is that of so called branched polymers. For small values of the bare gravitational coupling constant the internal Hausdorff dimension seems to be infinite (the crumpled phase). We conjecture that this phase corresponds to a theory of topological gravity. At the transition point the Hausdorff dimension might be finite and larger than two. This transition point is a potential candidate for a non-perturbative theory of quantum gravity.     

The S-FFT calculation of Collins formula and its application in digital holography

We study analytically and numerically the properties of one-dimensional chain of cold ions placed in a periodic potential of optical lattice and global harmonic potential of a trap. In close similarity with the Frenkel-Kontorova model, a transition from sliding to pinned phase takes place with the increase of the optical lattice potential for the density of ions incommensurate with the lattice period. We show that at zero temperature the quantum fluctuations lead to a quantum phase transition and melting of pinned instanton glass phase at large values of dimensional Planck constant. After melting the ion chain can slide in an optical lattice. The obtained results are also relevant for a Wigner crystal placed in a periodic potential.     

Holographic insulator/superconductor phase transitions with excited states

We construct a family of solutions of the holographic insulator/superconductor phase transitions with the excited states in the AdS soliton background by using both the numerical and analytical methods. The interesting point is that the improved SturmLiouville method can not only analytically investigate the properties of the phase transition with the excited states, but also the distributions of the condensed fields in the vicinity of the critical point. We observe that, regardless of the type of the holographic model, the excited state has a higher critical chemical potential than the corresponding ground state, and the difference of the dimensionless critical chemical potential between the consecutive states is around 2.4, which is different from the finding of the metal/superconductor phase transition in the Ad S black hole background. Furthermore, near the critical point, we find that the phase transition of the systems is of the second order and a linear relationship exists between the charge density and chemical potential for all the excited states in both s-wave and p-wave insulator/superconductor models.     

Quantum zigzag transition in ion chains

A string of trapped ions at zero temperature exhibits a structural phase transition to a zigzag structure, tuned by reducing the transverse trap potential or the interparticle distance. The transition is driven by transverse, short wavelength vibrational modes. We argue that this is a quantum phase transition, which can be experimentally realized and probed. Indeed, by means of a mapping to the Ising model in a transverse field, we estimate the quantum critical point in terms of the system parameters, and find a finite, measurable deviation from the critical point predicted by the classical theory. A measurement procedure is suggested which can probe the effects of quantum fluctuations at criticality. These results can be extended to describe the transverse instability of ultracold polar molecules in a one-dimensional optical lattice.     

Detection of various phases in liquids from the hypersound velocity and damping near closed phase-separation regions of solutions

Theoretical analysis revealed that experimental results obtained in our studies on hypersound propagation in a guaiacol-glycerol solution in the vicinity of the closed phase-separation region, double critical point, and special point, as well as the origin of these regions, can be explained by the presence of two different phases (I and II) of the solution with phase-transition temperature T ₀. Temperature T ₀ coincides with the temperature at the center of closed phase-separation regions, as well as with the double critical point and with the special point. In (Frenkel) phase I, molecules are in potential wells whose depth exceeds the thermal energy of a molecule, while thermal energy in (gaslike) phase II is higher than the potential well depth. At the lower critical point, the thermodynamic potential of phase I is equal to the thermodynamic potential of the phase-separated solution. At the upper critical point, the thermodynamic potential of phase II is equal to the thermodynamic potential of the phase-separated solution. The observed broad dome of the hypersound absorption coefficient near T ₀ can be explained by the contribution associated with fluctuations of the order parameter corresponding to the transition from phase I to phase II. The difference in the temperature coefficients of hypersound velocity on different sides of T ₀ and some other effects are also explained.     

Hamiltonian and Brownian systems with long-range interactions: V. Stochastic kinetic equations and theory of fluctuations

We developed a theory of fluctuations for Brownian systems with weak long-range interactions. For these systems, there exists a critical point separating a homogeneous phase from an inhomogeneous phase. Starting from the stochastic Smoluchowski equation governing the evolution of the fluctuating density field of Brownian particles, we determine the expression of the correlation function of the density fluctuations around a spatially homogeneous equilibrium distribution. In the stable regime, we find that the temporal correlation function of the Fourier components of density fluctuations decays exponentially rapidly, with the same rate as the one characterizing the damping of a perturbation governed by the deterministic mean field Smoluchowski equation (without noise). On the other hand, the amplitude of the spatial correlation function in Fourier space diverges at the critical point T=T_c (or at the instability threshold k=k_m) implying that the mean field approximation breaks down close to the critical point, and that the phase transition from the homogeneous phase to the inhomogeneous phase occurs sooner. By contrast, the correlations of the velocity fluctuations remain finite at the critical point (or at the instability threshold). We give explicit examples for the Brownian Mean Field (BMF) model and for Brownian particles interacting via the gravitational potential and via the attractive Yukawa potential. We also introduce a stochastic model of chemotaxis for bacterial populations generalizing the deterministic mean field Keller-Segel model by taking into account fluctuations and memory effects.     

Direct observation of the coexistence of the pseudogap and superconducting quasiparticles in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 + y by time-resolved optical spectroscopy

We report the ultrafast optical response of quasiparticles (QPs) in both the pseudogap (PG) and superconducting (SC) states of an underdoped Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 + y (Bi2212) single crystal measured with the time-resolved pump-probe technique. At a probe energy variant planck's over omegapr = 1.55 eV, it is found that the reflectivity change DeltaR/R changes its sign at exactly Tc, which allows the direct separation of the charge dynamics of PG and SC QPs. Further systematic investigations indicate that the transient signals associated with PG and SC QPs depend on the probe beam energy and polarization. By tuning them below Tc, two distinct components can be detected simultaneously, providing evidence for the coexistence of PG and SC QPs.     

The functional renormalization group and O(4) scaling

The critical behavior of the chiral quark-meson model is studied within the Functional Renormalization Group (FRG). We derive the flow equation for the scale-dependent thermodynamic potential at finite temperature and density in the presence of a symmetry-breaking external field. We perform a set of approximations to formulate and solve the FRG flow equation in the presence of fermionic degrees of freedom and test their influence on the O(4) critical properties expected in the quark-meson model. Within this scheme, the critical scaling behavior of the order parameter, its transverse and longitudinal susceptibilities as well as the correlation lengths near the chiral phase transition are computed for vanishing baryon density. We focus on the scaling properties of these observables at non-vanishing external field when approaching the critical point from the symmetric as well as from the broken phase. We confront our numerical results with the Widom–Griffiths form of the magnetic equation of state, obtained by a systematic ε expansion of the scaling function.     

液晶近晶C相的统计理论

采用格胞模型,由自由能极小导出了分布函数满足的积分方程。定义了分子取向序参量、质心位置序参量及两者耦合的序参量。选用适当的两体势,求得分布函数近似解和相应自由能表达式。由此知S_C—S_A相变可以是二级相变,也可以是一级相变。对TBBA,TB8A和NOBA的倾斜角和序参量随温度变化,以及相变点附近熵变和热容量,作了数值计算。还计算了TBEA和4-n-alkoxybenzylidene-4′-aminozobenzens同系物的相变温度随分子链长度的变化。结果与实验相符。 关键词：     

Mean-field theory of critical phenomenon for mutually repelling particles in complex plasmas

A mean-field theory of criticality for charged particles in complex plasmas is proposed. It is shown that the existence of the critical point and the liquid-vapor coexistence is fully consistent with a purely repulsive potential between particles; the cohesive field due to the plasma background drives these. The critical exponents, calculated by expanding the free energy near the critical point, are found to be classical. The phase coexistence curve, obtained by minimizing Gibbs potential, is similar to that of other mean-field models, e.g., van der Waals fluids, ionic fluids, etc. These results lend support to the concept of "universality" in widely different systems.     

Multicritical behavior at the kosterlitz-thouless critical point

A multicritical critical point for the two dimensional planar model is analyzed by studying an exactly soluable limit of a related model—the generalized Villain model. The statistical mechanics of this model is written in terms of vortex and symmetry breaking excitations. In these terms, the problem reduces to a kind of two dimensional problem with interacting electric charges and magnetic monopoles. In this form, the problem is manifestly self-dual. The multicritical behavior is exhibited in a three-dimensional phase space in which the axes are the coupling strength of a “square” symmetry breaking which favors four possible directions for the planar model vectors. The analysis of this multicritical point shows that it is the intersection of at least six critical lines—each with continuously varying critical indices. Two of these lines are described by the exactly soluable gaussian model. The other four are isomorphic to one another, and each one has—as a point on the line—a critical point of the Ashkin-Teller model. We argue that each of these lines might be in an equivalent universality class to the line of critical points which occurs in the Baxter and Ashkin-Teller models. We make a suggestion about which point on these critical lines might be in the same universality class as our multicritical point. Correlation functions at the intersection point are calculated and used to develop an expansion of critical indices about this point. This expansion gives a potential method for calculating the critical behavior along the critical lines of the model.     

Defect Formation in a Dynamic Transition

When a system that undergoes a continuous phase transition is swept through its critical point the initial symmetry is broken and domains are formed. Because of critical slowing down it is not possible to sweep adiabatically; the number of domains therefore depends on the rate of increase of the critical parameter. We give a summary of recent theoretical results for the number of defects produced as a function of how rapidly the transition point is passed. They are obtained from a simplified model, using a stochastic partial differential equation that is also solved numerically.     

Large Deviations in the Superstable Weakly Imperfect Bose-Gas

The Superstable Weakly Imperfect Bose-Gas (Sup-WIBG) was originally proposed to solve some inconsistencies of the Bogoliubov theory based on the WIBG. The grand-canonical thermodynamics of the Sup-WIBG has been recently studied in details but only out of the point of the (first order) phase transition. The present paper closes this gap. The key technical tools are the Large Deviations (LD) formalism and in particular the analysis of the Kac distribution function. It turns out that the condensate fraction discontinuity as a function of the chemical potential (that occurs at the phase transition point) disappears if one considers it as a function of the total particle density. We prove that at this point the equilibrium state of the Sup-WIBG is a mixture of two (low- and high-density) pure phases related to two critical particle densities. Non-zero Bose-Einstein condensate starts at the smaller critical density and continuously grows (for a constant chemical potential) until the second critical density. For higher particle densities, the Bose condensate fraction as well as the chemical potential both increase monotonously.     

Experimental evidence for crossover to mean-field tricritical behavior in a concentrated salt solution

We have discovered a mean-field multicritical point on the critical locus in an aqueous solution of 3-methylpyridine and sodium bromide. Light-scattering measurements indicate Ising-like asymptotic critical behavior at the lower salt concentrations. However, the temperature range of Ising critical behavior shrinks with increasing salt concentration and the critical behavior becomes mean-field-like at a concentration of about 17% mass fraction of NaBr. Emergence of a new characteristic length scale diverging at this point and a simultaneous pronounced increase in the background scattering suggests mean-field tricritical behavior associated with the formation of a microheterogeneous phase due to clustering of ions and molecules.     

Incompressible paired hall state, stripe order, and the composite fermion liquid phase in half-filled landau levels

We consider the two lowest Landau levels at half filling. In the higher Landau level (nu = 5/2), we find a first-order phase transition separating a compressible striped phase from a paired quantum Hall state, which is identified as the Moore-Read state. The critical point is very near the Coulomb potential and the transition can be driven by increasing the width of the electron layer. We find a much weaker transition (either second-order or a crossover) from pairing to the composite fermion Fermi-liquid behavior. A very similar picture is obtained for the lowest Landau level, but the transition point is not near the Coulomb potential.     

Phase separation of highly dissymmetric binary ionic mixtures

We study the phase separation of binary ionic mixtures involving two species of classical point ions in a rigid uniform neutralizing background of degenerate electrons. The thermodynamic properties of the ionic fluid are calculated on the basis of the HNC integral equation for the three partial pair distribution functions. We develop a systematic technique which allows the properties of mixtures of arbitrary composition to be expressed in terms of infinitely dilute solutions. Phase diagrams and critical parameters are determined for 12 different binary systems involving ionic charge ratios between 2 and 8. The dependence of the critical temperature on the ionic charges, on the pressure and an ionic quantum corrections is examined in detail.