The critical line of an asymmetric eight vertex model

Phenomenological renormalization of finite lattice data is used to locate the critical line of an asymmetric eight-vertex model. This model reduces at a special point to a loop gas on the square lattice. The critical fugacity of the loop gas is estimated to be 2.373±0.001, whereas the correlation exponent appears to be Ising-like.     

Finite-size scaling analysis of the critical behavior of a general epidemic process in 2D

We investigate the critical behavior of a stochastic lattice model describing a General Epidemic Process. By means of a Monte Carlo procedure, we simulate the model on a regular square lattice and follow the spreading of an epidemic process with immunization. A finite size scaling analysis is employed to determine the critical point as well as some critical exponents. We show that the usual scaling analysis of the order parameter moment ratio does not provide an accurate estimate of the critical point. Precise estimates of the critical quantities are obtained from data of the order parameter variation rate and its fluctuations. Our numerical results corroborate that this model belongs to the dynamic isotropic percolation universality class. We also check the validity of the hyperscaling relation and present data collapse curves which reinforce the accuracy of the estimated critical parameters.     

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.     

Second to tenth order susceptibilities of conserved charges within a modified Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model

We discuss the sign and energy dependence of second to tenth order susceptibilities of the baryon number,charge number, and strangeness for the analysis of critical conditions in heavy ion collisions in the LHC and RHIC by applying a modified Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model. This model is fitted to the quark condensate of the lattice QCD result at finite temperature and zero baryon chemical potential. The presence of a critical point made these susceptibilities deviate considerably from a Hadron-Resonance-Gas model that shows no criticality. The sign, magnitude, and energy dependence of these higher order fluctuations hint towards the existence and location of a critical point that could be discovered in future heavy ion collision experiments.     

What can we learn from boundary value effects in gauge theories on finite lattices?

It is shown that the Wilson loop average in an infinite lattice is bounded from above and below by the corresponding expectation value in a finite lattice with fixed and free boundary conditions, respectively. The quality of these bounds is verified for the mean plaquette action in the U(1) case. We demonstrate that the difference between the bounds offers a useful tool to investigate the correlation length near a critical point.     

Point defects in the honeycomb Ising lattice

A plane isotropic honeycomb Ising lattice is considered with randomly distributed defects, namely missing lattice spins (including the three adjacent bonds). The impurities are in thermodynamic equilibrium through a chemical potential. We find a rescaled temperature and a finite cusp-like specific heat at the critical point.     

SU(2)格点规范理论SIN作用量在有限温度下的解除禁闭的相变

我们对SU(2)群格点规范理论的Sinl-Sin((1/2)T_rU_p)作用量做了有限温度下的Monte Carlo计算,观察到一个高温下解除禁闭的相变。临界点是Tc≈334±40Mev,这与使用Wilson作用量及其它类型作用量所得结果可以相容。     

Critical limit one-point correlations of monodromy fields on 321-1321-1321-1

Monodromy fields on ?² are a family of lattice fields in two dimensions which are a natural generalization of the two dimensional Ising field occurring in theC ^*-algebra approach to Statistical Mechanics. A criterion for the critical limit one point correlation of the monodromy field σ_a(M) at a ∈ ?², $$\mathop {\lim }\limits_{s \uparrow 1} \left\langle {\sigma _a (M)} \right\rangle ,$$ is deduced for matrices M ∈ GL(p,?) having non-negative eigenvalues. Using this criterion non-identity 2×2 matrices are found with finite critical limit one point correlation. The general set ofp×p matrices with finite critical limit one point correlations is also considered and a conjecture for the critical limitn point correlations postulated.     

基于六角形晶格的光子晶体零折射率特性及其光学应用研究

运用色散特性分析的方法,在六角形晶格光子晶体能带结构的布里渊区中心找到了狄拉克点,用等效媒质理论验证了在这一点上光子晶体的等效介电常量和等效磁导率同时为零,即存在狄拉克频点,用此六角形晶格光子晶体可以实现零折射率材料.随后运用有限元数值仿真方法,研究了此六角形晶格结构在狄拉克频点及其附近所呈现的零折射率特性.将此种六角形晶格光子晶体经过合理设计用以制作凹透镜,发现可以实现远场的亚波长聚焦.此外在凹透镜的入射面处引入防反射结构可以在一定程度上增强聚焦效果,提高了系统的分辨率.     

Critical Point of the Honeycomb Antiferromagnetic Ising Model in a Nonzero Magnetic Field: An Analytical Analysis

In this paper we determined the critical point of the antiferromagnetic Ising model in a nonzero magnetic field on the honeycomb lattice by an analytical method-the generalized cumulant expansion with the mean field hypothesis. By calculating the magnetization to the fourth order correction, we get encouraging results when compared with the known numerical results by finite size analysis.     

Evolution by damage spreading in Kauffman model

In Kauffman's Boolean automata model on the square lattice, the Darwinian fitness of survival can be defined as the fraction of elements which do not change from one iteration to the next. Biological mutations are simulated by filpping one bit in the rule of one site. Selection of the fitter mutant then optimizes the whole lattice completely. This optimization is particularly effective near the critical point of the transition to chaos, but is in itself not a critical phenomenon. Also a two-dimensional spin glass can be optimized in this way.     

Exact results for a dilute Potts model

Exact results are obtained for the annealed, dilute,q-component Potts model on the decorated square lattice. The phase diagram is found to consist of a high-temperature region, a low-temperature region, and a two-phase region in between which arises only forq>4: exact expressions for the phase boundary and the critical probability are derived. At the critical point the specific heat is generally finite and has a cusp; the slope of the cusp is finite forq=4 and infinite (vertical) forq=2 and 3.Work supported in part by NSF Grant No. DMR 78-18808.     

Finite Size Effects and Metastability in Zero-Range Condensation

We study zero-range processes which are known to exhibit a condensation transition, where above a critical density a non-zero fraction of all particles accumulates on a single lattice site. This phenomenon has been a subject of recent research interest and is well understood in the thermodynamic limit. The system shows large finite size effects, and we observe a switching between metastable fluid and condensed phases close to the critical point, in contrast to the continuous limiting behaviour of relevant observables. We describe the leading order finite size effects and establish a discontinuity near criticality in a rigorous scaling limit. We also characterise the metastable phases using a current matching argument and an extension of the fluid phase to supercritical densities. This constitutes an interesting example where the thermodynamic limit fails to capture essential parts of the dynamics, which are particularly relevant in applications with moderate system sizes such as traffic flow or granular clustering.     

Universal order-parameter and quantum phase transition for two-dimensional q-state quantum Potts model

We investigate quantum phase transitions for q-state quantum Potts models (q=2,3,4) on a square lattice and for the Ising model on a honeycomb lattice by using the infinite projected entangled-pair state algorithm with a simplified updating scheme. We extend the universal order parameter to a two-dimensional lattice system, which allows us to explore quantum phase transitions with symmetry-broken order for any translation-invariant quantum lattice system of the symmetry group G. The universal order parameter is zero in the symmetric phase, and it ranges from zero to unity in the symmetry-broken phase. The ground-state fidelity per lattice site is computed, and a pinch point is identified on the fidelity surface near the critical point. The results offer another example highlighting the connection between (i) critical points for a quantum many-body system undergoing a quantum phase-transition and (ii) pinch points on a fidelity surface. In addition, we discuss three quantum coherence measures: the quantum Jensen-Shannon divergence, the relative entropy of coherence, and the l₁ norm of coherence, which are singular at the critical point, thereby identifying quantum phase transitions.     

Finite-temperature behavior of the lattice abelian Higgs model

We study phase transitions in the lattice version of the abelian Higgs model, a model which can exhibit both spontaneous symmetry breaking and confinement. When the Higgs charge is the basic U(1) unit, we find that the Higgs and confinement regions are not separated by a phase transition and form a single homogenous phase which we call the total screening phase. The model does not undergo a symmetry restoring phase transition at finite temperature.If the Higgs charge is some multiple of the basic unit the model follows the conventional wisdom: there are 3 phases (normal, Higgs and confinement) at zero temperature, two of which disappear above some critical point. We apply the lessons learned from the lattice Higgs model to understand the behavior of the weak interactions at high temperature.In a long appendix we give an intuitive physical picture for the Polyakov-Susskind quark liberating phase transition and show that it is related to the Hagedorn spectrum of a confining model. We end with a collection of effective field theory approximations to various lattice theories.     

Oscillatory behavior of critical amplitudes of the Gaussian model on a hierarchical structure

We studied oscillatory behavior of critical amplitudes for the Gaussian model on a hierarchical structure presented by a modified Sierpinski gasket lattice. This model is known to display nonstandard critical behavior on the lattice under study. The leading singular behavior of the correlation length xi near the critical coupling K=K(c) is modulated by a function which is periodic in ln/ln(K(c)-K)/. We have also shown that the common finite-size scaling hypothesis, according to which for a finite system at criticality xi should be of the order of the size of the system, is not applicable in this case. As a consequence of this, the exact form of the leading singular behavior of xi differs from the one described earlier (which was based on the finite-size scaling assumption).     

Quantized pumping and topology of the phase diagram for a system of interacting bosons

Interacting lattice bosons at integer filling can support two distinct insulating phases, which are separated by a critical point: the Mott insulator and the Haldane insulator [E.?G. Dalla Torre, E. Berg, and E. Altman, Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 260401 (2006).]. The critical point can be gapped out by breaking lattice inversion symmetry. Here, we show that encircling this critical point adiabatically pumps one boson across the system. When multiple chains are coupled, the two insulating phases are no longer sharply distinct, but the pumping property survives. This leads to strict constraints on the topology of the phase diagram of systems of quasi-one-dimensional interacting bosons.     

Phenomenological analysis of thermal hysteresis in Ni-Mn-Ga Heusler alloys

The manipulation of thermal hysteresis in Ni-Mn-Ga Heusler alloys with coupled magnetostructural phase transition is studied theoretically using the Landau theory, including magnetic, elastic and crystal lattice modulation order parameters as well as an external magnetic field. It is shown that for the assigned combination of phenomenological parameters, in the phase diagrams, the Austenite–Martensite first-order phase transition has a finite (critical) point in which the thermal hysteresis is disappeared. Moreover, this point depends on the relation between modulation and elastic constants as well as on the magnetic field. Obtained results have been compared with other theoretical end experimental data.     

Kondo breakdown as a selective Mott transition in the Anderson lattice

We show within the slave-boson technique that the Anderson lattice model exhibits a Kondo breakdown quantum critical point where the hybridization goes to zero at zero temperature. At this fixed point, the f electrons experience as well a selective Mott transition separating a local-moment phase from a Kondo-screened phase. The presence of a multiscale quantum critical point in the Anderson lattice in the absence of magnetism is discussed in the context of heavy fermion compounds. This study is the first evidence for a selective Mott transition in the Anderson lattice.     

Lattice QCD at finite temperature and density

QCD at finite temperature and density is becoming increasingly important for various experimental programmes, ranging from heavy ion physics to astro-particle physics. The non-perturbative nature of non-abelian quantum field theories at finite temperature leaves lattice QCD as the only tool by which we may hope to come to reliable predictions from first principles. This requires careful extrapolations to the thermodynamic, chiral and continuum limits in order to eliminate systematic effects introduced by the discretization procedure. After an introduction to lattice QCD at finite temperature and density, its possibilities and current systematic limitations, a review of present numerical results is given. In particular, plasma properties such as the equation of state, screening masses, static quark free energies and spectral functions are discussed, as well as the critical temperature and the QCD phase structure at zero and finite density.