First-order phase transition in the quantum spin glass at T=0

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Viana, J. Roberto; Nogueira, Yamilles; Sousa, J. Ricardo de

2003-01-01

The van Hemmen model with transverse and random longitudinal field is studied to analyze the tricritical behavior in the quantum Ising spin glass at T=0. The free energy and order parameter are calculated for two types of probability distributions: Gaussian and bimodal. We obtain the phase diagram in the Ω-H plane, where Ω and H are the transverse and random longitudinal fields, respectively. For the case of Gaussian distribution the phase transition is of second order, while the bimodal distribution we observe second-order transition for high-transverse field and first-order transition for small transverse field, with a tricritical point in the phase diagram

Bubble nucleation in first-order inflation and other cosmological phase transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turner, M.S.; Weinberg, E.J.; Widrow, L.M.

1992-01-01

We address in some detail the kinematics of bubble nucleation and percolation in first-order cosmological phase transitions, with the primary focus on first-order inflation. We study how a first-order phase transition completes, describe measures of its progress, and compute the distribution of bubble sizes. For example, we find that the typical bubble size in a successful transition is of order 1% to 100% of the Hubble radius, and depends very weakly on the energy scale of the transition. We derive very general conditions that must be satisfied by Γ/H 4 to complete the phase transition (Γ=bubble nucleation rate per unit volume; H=expansion rate; physically, Γ/H 4 corresponds to the volume fraction of space occupied by bubbles nucleated over a Hubble time). In particular, Γ/H 4 must exceed 9/4π to successfully end inflation. To avoid the deleterious effects of bubbles nucleated early during inflation on primordial nucleosynthesis and on the isotropy and spectrum of the cosmic microwave background radiation, during most of inflation Γ/H 4 must be less than order 10 -4 --10 -3 . Our constraints imply that in a successful model of first-order inflation the phase transition must complete over a period of at most a few Hubble times and all but preclude individual bubbles from providing an interesting source of density perturbation. We note, though, that it is just possible for Poisson fluctuations in the number of moderately large-size bubbles to lead to interesting isocurvature perturbations, whose spectrum is not scale invariant. Finally, we analyze in detail several recently proposed models of first-order inflation

Gravitational waves from the sound of a first order phase transition.

Science.gov (United States)

Hindmarsh, Mark; Huber, Stephan J; Rummukainen, Kari; Weir, David J

2014-01-31

We report on the first three-dimensional numerical simulations of first-order phase transitions in the early Universe to include the cosmic fluid as well as the scalar field order parameter. We calculate the gravitational wave (GW) spectrum resulting from the nucleation, expansion, and collision of bubbles of the low-temperature phase, for phase transition strengths and bubble wall velocities covering many cases of interest. We find that the compression waves in the fluid continue to be a source of GWs long after the bubbles have merged, a new effect not taken properly into account in previous modeling of the GW source. For a wide range of models, the main source of the GWs produced by a phase transition is, therefore, the sound the bubbles make.

Mixed-order phase transition in a minimal, diffusion-based spin model.

Science.gov (United States)

Fronczak, Agata; Fronczak, Piotr

2016-07-01

In this paper we exactly solve, within the grand canonical ensemble, a minimal spin model with the hybrid phase transition. We call the model diffusion based because its Hamiltonian can be recovered from a simple dynamic procedure, which can be seen as an equilibrium statistical mechanics representation of a biased random walk. We outline the derivation of the phase diagram of the model, in which the triple point has the hallmarks of the hybrid transition: discontinuity in the average magnetization and algebraically diverging susceptibilities. At this point, two second-order transition curves meet in equilibrium with the first-order curve, resulting in a prototypical mixed-order behavior.

On entropy change measurements around first order phase transitions in caloric materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Caron, Luana; Ba Doan, Nguyen; Ranno, Laurent

2017-02-22

In this work we discuss the measurement protocols for indirect determination of the isothermal entropy change associated with first order phase transitions in caloric materials. The magneto-structural phase transitions giving rise to giant magnetocaloric effects in Cu-doped MnAs and FeRh are used as case studies to exemplify how badly designed protocols may affect isothermal measurements and lead to incorrect entropy change estimations. Isothermal measurement protocols which allow correct assessment of the entropy change around first order phase transitions in both direct and inverse cases are presented.

Molecular orientational re-ordering and the transformation of a Landau second order phase transition to first order in a nematic liquid crystal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ponce, T.C.

1988-08-01

We consider the nature of the nematic to isotropic phase transition in terms of the molecular orientational re-ordering, expressed by the variation of the order parameter, s, in the light of Landau's theory of second order phase transition. Then, we show how the de Gennes modification to the Landau thermodynamic potential converts the transition to first order which is in better agreement with the experimental observations. (author). 9 refs, 2 figs, 1 tab

XY model with higher-order exchange.

Science.gov (United States)

Žukovič, Milan; Kalagov, Georgii

2017-08-01

An XY model, generalized by inclusion of up to an infinite number of higher-order pairwise interactions with an exponentially decreasing strength, is studied by spin-wave theory and Monte Carlo simulations. At low temperatures the model displays a quasi-long-range-order phase characterized by an algebraically decaying correlation function with the exponent η=T/[2πJ(p,α)], nonlinearly dependent on the parameters p and α that control the number of the higher-order terms and the decay rate of their intensity, respectively. At higher temperatures the system shows a crossover from the continuous Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless to the first-order transition for the parameter values corresponding to a highly nonlinear shape of the potential well. The role of topological excitations (vortices) in changing the nature of the transition is discussed.

First-Order Quantum Phase Transition for Dicke Model Induced by Atom-Atom Interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Xiu-Qin; Liu Ni; Liang Jiu-Qing

2017-01-01

In this article, we use the spin coherent state transformation and the ground state variational method to theoretically calculate the ground function. In order to consider the influence of the atom-atom interaction on the extended Dicke model’s ground state properties, the mean photon number, the scaled atomic population and the average ground energy are displayed. Using the self-consistent field theory to solve the atom-atom interaction, we discover the system undergoes a first-order quantum phase transition from the normal phase to the superradiant phase, but a famous Dicke-type second-order quantum phase transition without the atom-atom interaction. Meanwhile, the atom-atom interaction makes the phase transition point shift to the lower atom-photon collective coupling strength. (paper)

Wilson loop's phase transition probed by non-local observable

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hui-Ling Li

2018-04-01

Full Text Available In order to give further insights into the holographic Van der Waals phase transition, it would be of great interest to investigate the behavior of Wilson loop across the holographic phase transition for a higher dimensional hairy black hole. We offer a possibility to proceed with a numerical calculation in order to discussion on the hairy black hole's phase transition, and show that Wilson loop can serve as a probe to detect a phase structure of the black hole. Furthermore, for a first order phase transition, we calculate numerically the Maxwell's equal area construction; and for a second order phase transition, we also study the critical exponent in order to characterize the Wilson loop's phase transition.

Strongly first-order electroweak phase transition and classical scale invariance

Science.gov (United States)

Farzinnia, Arsham; Ren, Jing

2014-10-01

In this work, we examine the possibility of realizing a strongly first-order electroweak phase transition within the minimal classically scale-invariant extension of the standard model (SM), previously proposed and analyzed as a potential solution to the hierarchy problem. By introducing one complex gauge-singlet scalar and three (weak scale) right-handed Majorana neutrinos, the scenario was successfully rendered capable of achieving a radiative breaking of the electroweak symmetry (by means of the Coleman-Weinberg mechanism), inducing nonzero masses for the SM neutrinos (via the seesaw mechanism), presenting a pseudoscalar dark matter candidate (protected by the CP symmetry of the potential), and predicting the existence of a second CP-even boson (with suppressed couplings to the SM content) in addition to the 125 GeV scalar. In the present treatment, we construct the full finite-temperature one-loop effective potential of the model, including the resummed thermal daisy loops, and demonstrate that finite-temperature effects induce a first-order electroweak phase transition. Requiring the thermally driven first-order phase transition to be sufficiently strong at the onset of the bubble nucleation (corresponding to nucleation temperatures TN˜100-200 GeV) further constrains the model's parameter space; in particular, an O(0.01) fraction of the dark matter in the Universe may be simultaneously accommodated with a strongly first-order electroweak phase transition. Moreover, such a phase transition disfavors right-handed Majorana neutrino masses above several hundreds of GeV, confines the pseudoscalar dark matter masses to ˜1-2 TeV, predicts the mass of the second CP-even scalar to be ˜100-300 GeV, and requires the mixing angle between the CP-even components of the SM doublet and the complex singlet to lie within the range 0.2≲sinω ≲0.4. The obtained results are displayed in comprehensive exclusion plots, identifying the viable regions of the parameter space

Energy Budget of Cosmological First-order Phase Transitions

CERN Document Server

Espinosa, Jose R; No, Jose M; Servant, Geraldine

2010-01-01

The study of the hydrodynamics of bubble growth in first-order phase transitions is very relevant for electroweak baryogenesis, as the baryon asymmetry depends sensitively on the bubble wall velocity, and also for predicting the size of the gravity wave signal resulting from bubble collisions, which depends on both the bubble wall velocity and the plasma fluid velocity. We perform such study in different bubble expansion regimes, namely deflagrations, detonations, hybrids (steady states) and runaway solutions (accelerating wall), without relying on a specific particle physics model. We compute the efficiency of the transfer of vacuum energy to the bubble wall and the plasma in all regimes. We clarify the condition determining the runaway regime and stress that in most models of strong first-order phase transitions this will modify expectations for the gravity wave signal. Indeed, in this case, most of the kinetic energy is concentrated in the wall and almost no turbulent fluid motions are expected since the s...

Two-order parameters theory of the metal-insulator phase transition kinetics in the magnetic field

Science.gov (United States)

Dubovskii, L. B.

2018-05-01

The metal-insulator phase transition is considered within the framework of the Ginzburg-Landau approach for the phase transition described with two coupled order parameters. One of the order parameters is the mass density which variation is responsible for the origin of nonzero overlapping of the two different electron bands and the appearance of free electron carriers. This transition is assumed to be a first-order phase one. The free electron carriers are described with the vector-function representing the second-order parameter responsible for the continuous phase transition. This order parameter determines mostly the physical properties of the metal-insulator transition and leads to a singularity of the surface tension at the metal-insulator interface. The magnetic field is involved into the consideration of the system. The magnetic field leads to new singularities of the surface tension at the metal-insulator interface and results in a drastic variation of the phase transition kinetics. A strong singularity in the surface tension results from the Landau diamagnetism and determines anomalous features of the metal-insulator transition kinetics.

Quantum phase transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sachdev, S.

1999-01-01

Phase transitions are normally associated with changes of temperature but a new type of transition - caused by quantum fluctuations near absolute zero - is possible, and can tell us more about the properties of a wide range of systems in condensed-matter physics. Nature abounds with phase transitions. The boiling and freezing of water are everyday examples of phase transitions, as are more exotic processes such as superconductivity and superfluidity. The universe itself is thought to have passed through several phase transitions as the high-temperature plasma formed by the big bang cooled to form the world as we know it today. Phase transitions are traditionally classified as first or second order. In first-order transitions the two phases co-exist at the transition temperature - e.g. ice and water at 0 deg., or water and steam at 100 deg. In second-order transitions the two phases do not co-exist. In the last decade, attention has focused on phase transitions that are qualitatively different from the examples noted above: these are quantum phase transitions and they occur only at the absolute zero of temperature. The transition takes place at the ''quantum critical'' value of some other parameter such as pressure, composition or magnetic field strength. A quantum phase transition takes place when co-operative ordering of the system disappears, but this loss of order is driven solely by the quantum fluctuations demanded by Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. The physical properties of these quantum fluctuations are quite distinct from those of the thermal fluctuations responsible for traditional, finite-temperature phase transitions. In particular, the quantum system is described by a complex-valued wavefunction, and the dynamics of its phase near the quantum critical point requires novel theories that have no analogue in the traditional framework of phase transitions. In this article the author describes the history of quantum phase transitions. (UK)

Microscopic analysis of order parameters in nuclear quantum phase transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Z. P.; Niksic, T.; Vretenar, D.; Meng, J.

2009-01-01

Microscopic signatures of nuclear ground-state shape phase transitions in Nd isotopes are studied using excitation spectra and collective wave functions obtained by diagonalization of a five-dimensional Hamiltonian for quadrupole vibrational and rotational degrees of freedom, with parameters determined by constrained self-consistent relativistic mean-field calculations for triaxial shapes. As a function of the physical control parameter, the number of nucleons, energy gaps between the ground state and the excited vibrational states with zero angular momentum, isomer shifts, and monopole transition strengths exhibit sharp discontinuities at neutron number N=90, which is characteristic of a first-order quantum phase transition.

Features of order-disorder phase transformation in nonstoichiometric transition metals carbides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Emel'yanov, A.N.

1996-01-01

Measurements of temperature and electric conductivity of nonstoichiometric transition metals carbides TiC χ and NbC χ in the area of order-disorder phase transformation are carried out. There are certain peculiarities on the temperature and electric conductivity curves of the carbides, connected with the carbon sublattice disordering. On the basis of the anomalies observed on the curves of the temperature conductivity of nonstoichiometric carbides of transition metals above the temperature of the order-disorder transition the existence of the second structural transition is supposed

The Hagedorn spectrum, nuclear level densities and first order phase transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moretto, Luciano G.; Larsen, A. C.; Guttormsen, M.; Siem, S.

2015-01-01

An exponential mass spectrum, like the Hagedorn spectrum, with slope 1/T H was interpreted as fixing an upper limiting temperature T H that the system can achieve. However, thermodynamically, such spectrum indicates a 1 st order phase transition at a fixed temperature T H . A much lower energy example is the log linear level nuclear density below the neutron binding energy that prevails throughout the nuclear chart. We show that, for non-magic nuclei, such linearity implies a 1 st order phase transition from the pairing superfluid to an ideal gas of quasi particles

Long-range string orders and topological quantum phase transitions in the one-dimensional quantum compass model.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Hai Tao; Cho, Sam Young

2015-01-14

In order to investigate the quantum phase transition in the one-dimensional quantum compass model, we numerically calculate non-local string correlations, entanglement entropy and fidelity per lattice site by using the infinite matrix product state representation with the infinite time evolving block decimation method. In the whole range of the interaction parameters, we find that four distinct string orders characterize the four different Haldane phases and the topological quantum phase transition occurs between the Haldane phases. The critical exponents of the string order parameters β = 1/8 and the cental charges c = 1/2 at the critical points show that the topological phase transitions between the phases belong to an Ising type of universality classes. In addition to the string order parameters, the singularities of the second derivative of the ground state energies per site, the continuous and singular behaviors of the Von Neumann entropy and the pinch points of the fidelity per lattice site manifest that the phase transitions between the phases are of the second-order, in contrast to the first-order transition suggested in previous studies.

Second-order phase transition at high-pressure in GeS crystal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hashimzade, F.M.; Huseinova, D.A.; Jahangirli, Z.A.; Mehdiyev, B.H., E-mail: bachschi@yahoo.de

2014-12-01

In this paper we give a theoretical proof of the existence of a second-order structural phase transition in the GeS at a pressure of 35.4 GPa. We use the plane-wave pseudopotential approach to the density functional theory in the local density approximation. The evidence of the phase transition is the abrupt change in the bulk modulus as the volume of the unit cell of the crystal changes continuously. We show that the phase transition is caused by the softening of the low-frequency fully symmetric interlayer mode with increasing pressure. As a result, phase transition of a displacement type takes place with the change of translational symmetry of the crystal from the simple orthorhombic to the base-centered orthorhombic (P{sub bnm}(D{sub 2h}{sup 16})→C{sub mcm}(D{sub 2h}{sup 17}))

Mixed-order phase transition of the contact process near multiple junctions.

Science.gov (United States)

Juhász, Róbert; Iglói, Ferenc

2017-02-01

We have studied the phase transition of the contact process near a multiple junction of M semi-infinite chains by Monte Carlo simulations. As opposed to the continuous transitions of the translationally invariant (M=2) and semi-infinite (M=1) system, the local order parameter is found to be discontinuous for M>2. Furthermore, the temporal correlation length diverges algebraically as the critical point is approached, but with different exponents on the two sides of the transition. In the active phase, the estimate is compatible with the bulk value, while in the inactive phase it exceeds the bulk value and increases with M. The unusual local critical behavior is explained by a scaling theory with an irrelevant variable, which becomes dangerous in the inactive phase. Quenched spatial disorder is found to make the transition continuous in agreement with earlier renormalization group results.

Doping Induced Transition from an Antiferro-Type Order to Phase Separation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lemanski, R.; Gajek, Z.

2003-01-01

A sequence of transitions from an antiferro-type order to a phase separate state under doping away from half filling is studied within the 1D Falicov-Kimball model. Using the method of restricted phase diagrams the system is analyzed exactly in the thermodynamic limit. Various kinds of ordering, including periodic n-molecular phases and their mixtures are found for a set of values of the interaction constant U. (author)

The Hagedorn spectrum, nuclear level densities and first order phase transitions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moretto, Luciano G., E-mail: lgmoretto@lbl.gov [Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Larsen, A. C.; Guttormsen, M.; Siem, S. [Department of Physics, University of Oslo, N-0316 Oslo (Norway)

2015-10-15

An exponential mass spectrum, like the Hagedorn spectrum, with slope 1/T{sub H} was interpreted as fixing an upper limiting temperature T{sub H} that the system can achieve. However, thermodynamically, such spectrum indicates a 1{sup st} order phase transition at a fixed temperature T{sub H}. A much lower energy example is the log linear level nuclear density below the neutron binding energy that prevails throughout the nuclear chart. We show that, for non-magic nuclei, such linearity implies a 1{sup st} order phase transition from the pairing superfluid to an ideal gas of quasi particles.

Phase Behavior of Diblock Copolymer–Homopolymer Ternary Blends: Congruent First-Order Lamellar–Disorder Transition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hickey, Robert J.; Gillard, Timothy M.; Irwin, Matthew T.; Morse, David C.; Lodge, Timothy P.; Bates, Frank S. (UMM)

2016-10-13

We have established the existence of a line of congruent first-order lamellar-to-disorder (LAM–DIS) transitions when appropriate amounts of poly(cyclohexylethylene) (C) and poly(ethylene) (E) homopolymers are mixed with a corresponding compositionally symmetric CE diblock copolymer. The line of congruent transitions, or the congruent isopleth, terminates at the bicontinuous microemulsion (BμE) channel, and its trajectory appears to be influenced by the critical composition of the C/E binary homopolymer blend. Blends satisfying congruency undergo a direct LAM–DIS transition without passing through a two-phase region. We present complementary optical transmission, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and dynamic mechanical spectroscopy (DMS) results that establish the phase behavior at constant copolymer volume fraction and varying C/E homopolymer volume ratios. Adjacent to the congruent composition at constant copolymer volume fraction, the lamellar and disordered phases are separated by two-phase coexistence windows, which converge, along with the line of congruent transitions, at an overall composition in the phase prism coincident with the BμE channel. Hexagonal and cubic (double gyroid) phases occur at higher diblock copolymer concentrations for asymmetric amounts of C and E homopolymers. These results establish a quantitative method for identifying the detailed phase behavior of ternary diblock copolymer–homopolymer blends, especially in the vicinity of the BμE.

Nucleation of relativistic first-order phase transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Csernai, L.P.; Kapusta, J.I.

1992-01-01

The authors apply the general formalism of Langer to compute the nucleation rate for systems of relativistic particles with zero or small baryon number density and which undergo first-order phase transitions. In particular, the pre-exponential factor is computed and it is proportional to the viscosity. The initial growth rate of a critical size bubble or droplet is limited by the ability of dissipative processes to transport latent heat away from the surface. 30 refs., 4 figs

Comments on the electroweak phase transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dine, M.; Leigh, R.G.; Huet, P.; Linde, A.; Linde, D.

1992-01-01

We report on an investigation of various problems related to the theory of the electroweak phase transition. This includes a determination of the nature of the phase transition, a discussion of the possible role of higher order radiative corrections and the theory of the formation and evolution of the bubbles of the new phase. We find in particular that no dangerous linear terms appear in the effective potential. However, the strength of the first-order phase transition is 2/3 times less than what follows from the one-loop approximation. This rules out baryogenesis in the minimal version of the electroweak theory with light Higgs bosons. (orig.)

Second-order phase transition in gφ42 theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ganbold, G.; Efimov, G.V.

1993-08-01

We have suggested a regular scheme for calculating systematically the leading term and next corrections to it up to the fourth order for the effective potential in the scalar φ 4 2 theory. The obtained results give evidence in favour of a second-order phase transition at (g/2πm 2 ) crit ≅ 0.9 in the theory under consideration. (author). 18 refs, 1 fig

A first order phase transition from inflationary to big bang universe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horwitz, G.

1986-01-01

The microcanonical entropy is calculated for a system of massive, conformally coupled, scalar bosons using a conformal gravitational theory. The resulting entropy is seen to indicate a first order phase transition from an inflationary expansion stage (where the amplitude of the scalar boson follows that of the scale function of the universe and the mass of the solar boson is the source of the cosmological constant) to a big bang stage (where neither of these conditions hold). Such a first order phase transition involves an entropy increase of some thirty orders of magnitude. In the author's theory, the invariant temperature (proper temperature times scale function) is not zero, nor is it the Hawking temperature, but it is tens of magnitudes smaller than the corresponding temperature of the big bang stage. A specific model for these bosons that provides the phase transition and serves as the source of the cosmological constant is also examined briefly, where the bosons are identified as spontaneously generated primordial black holes as in the cosmological model of Brout, Englert and Casher. In that case, the decay of the black holes provides a decaying cosmological constant and an explicit mechanism for heating up the universe

Rate-induced solubility and suppression of the first-order phase transition in olivine LiFePO4.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xiaoyu; van Hulzen, Martijn; Singh, Deepak P; Brownrigg, Alex; Wright, Jonathan P; van Dijk, Niels H; Wagemaker, Marnix

2014-05-14

The impact of ultrahigh (dis)charge rates on the phase transition mechanism in LiFePO4 Li-ion electrodes is revealed by in situ synchrotron diffraction. At high rates the solubility limits in both phases increase dramatically, causing a fraction of the electrode to bypass the first-order phase transition. The small transforming fraction demonstrates that nucleation rates are consequently not limiting the transformation rate. In combination with the small fraction of the electrode that transforms at high rates, this indicates that higher performances may be achieved by further optimizing the ionic/electronic transport in LiFePO4 electrodes.

Group theoretical arguments on the Landau theory of second-order phase transitions applied to the phase transitions in some liquid crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosciszewski, K.

1979-01-01

The phase transitions between liquids and several of the simplest liquid crystalline phases (nematic, cholesteric, and the simplest types of smectic A and smectic C) were studied from the point of view of the group-theoretical arguments of Landau theory. It was shown that the only possible candidates for second-order phase transitions are those between nematic and smectic A, between centrosymmetric nematic and smectic C and between centrosymmetric smectic A and smectic C. Simple types of density functions for liquid crystalline phases are proposed. (author)

Mixed-order phase transition in a two-step contagion model with a single infectious seed.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Wonjun; Lee, Deokjae; Kahng, B

2017-02-01

Percolation is known as one of the most robust continuous transitions, because its occupation rule is intrinsically local. As one of the ways to break the robustness, occupation is allowed to more than one species of particles and they occupy cooperatively. This generalized percolation model undergoes a discontinuous transition. Here we investigate an epidemic model with two contagion steps and characterize its phase transition analytically and numerically. We find that even though the order parameter jumps at a transition point r_{c}, then increases continuously, it does not exhibit any critical behavior: the fluctuations of the order parameter do not diverge at r_{c}. However, critical behavior appears in mean outbreak size, which diverges at the transition point in a manner that the ordinary percolation shows. Such a type of phase transition is regarded as a mixed-order phase transition. We also obtain scaling relations of cascade outbreak statistics when the order parameter jumps at r_{c}.

Experimental First Order Pairing Phase Transition in Atomic Nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moretto, L G; Larsen, A C; Giacoppo, F; Guttormsen, M; Siem, S

2015-01-01

The natural log of experimental nuclear level densities at low energy is linear with energy. This can be interpreted in terms of a nearly 1st order phase transition from a superfluid to an ideal gas of quasi particles. The transition temperature coincides with the BCS critical temperature and yields gap parameters in good agreement with the values extracted from even- odd mass differences from rotational states. This converging evidence supports the relevance of the BCS theory to atomic nuclei

Order-disorder phase transition in ZrV2Dsub(3.6)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Didisheim, J.-J.; Yvon, K.; Tissot, P.

1981-01-01

The deuterated C15-type Laves phase ZrV 2 Dsub(3.6) undergoes a structural phase transition near room temperature (T of the order of 325 K). In the cubic high-temperature phase the deuterium atoms are disordered over two types of tetrahedral interstices, the centres of which are 1.3 A apart. In the tetragonal low-temperature phase the D atoms are ordered and occupy only the energetically more favourable interstices. The tetragonal structure is isotypic with the low-temperature phase of HfV 2 D 4 . The shortest D-D distance is 2.1 A. (author)

'Second' Ehrenfest equation for second order phase transition under hydrostatic pressure

Science.gov (United States)

Moin, Ph. B.

2018-02-01

It is shown that the fundamental conditions for the second-order phase transitions ? and ?, from which the two Ehrenfest equations follow (the 'usual' and the 'second' ones), are realised only at zero hydrostatic pressure (?). At ? the volume jump ΔV at the transition is proportional to the pressure and to the jump of the compressibility ΔζV, whereas the entropy jump ΔS is proportional to the pressure and to the jump of the thermal expansion coefficient ΔαV. This means that at non-zero hydrostatic pressure the phase transition is of the first order and is described by the Clausius-Clapeyron equation. At small pressure this equation coincides with the 'second' Ehrenfest equation ?. At high P, the Clausius-Clapeyron equation describes qualitatively the caused by the crystal compression positive curvature of the ? dependence.

Magnetic phase transitions with incommensurate structures in systems with coupled order parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Izyumov, Yu.A.; Laptev, V.M.; Petrov, S.B.

1984-01-01

Modulated magnetic phases are investigated for the case when symmetry does not allow linear by gradients Lifshits invariants and magnetic momenta are converted by two irreducible representations. Possible phase diagrams with participation of incommensurable phases are plotted on the base of Ginsburg-Landau functional for 2 bound parameters of the order. The role of the highest harmonics in spatial distribution of the order parameters is clarified on the example of magnetic phase transitions in Er

Stratification-induced order--disorder phase transitions in molecularly thin confined films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schoen, M.; Diestler, D.J.; Cushman, J.H.

1994-01-01

By means of grand canonical ensemble Monte Carlo simulations of a monatomic film confined between unstructured (i.e., molecularly smooth) rigidly fixed solid surfaces (i.e., walls), we investigate the mechanism of molecular stratification, i.e., the tendency of atoms to arrange themselves in layers parallel with the walls. Stratification is accompanied by a heretofore unnoticed order--disorder phase transition manifested as a maximum in density fluctuations at the transition point. The transition involves phases with different transverse packing characteristics, although the number of layers accommodated between the walls remains unchanged during the transition, which occurs periodically as the film thickens. However, with increasing thickness, an increasingly smaller proportion of the film is structurally affected by the transition. Thus, the associated maximum in density fluctuations diminishes rapidly with film thickness

QCD-Electroweak First-Order Phase Transition in a Supercooled Universe

Science.gov (United States)

Iso, Satoshi; Serpico, Pasquale D.; Shimada, Kengo

2017-10-01

If the electroweak sector of the standard model is described by classically conformal dynamics, the early Universe evolution can be substantially altered. It is already known that—contrarily to the standard model case—a first-order electroweak phase transition may occur. Here we show that, depending on the model parameters, a dramatically different scenario may happen: A first-order, six massless quark QCD phase transition occurs first, which then triggers the electroweak symmetry breaking. We derive the necessary conditions for this dynamics to occur, using the specific example of the classically conformal B -L model. In particular, relatively light weakly coupled particles are predicted, with implications for collider searches. This scenario is also potentially rich in cosmological consequences, such as renewed possibilities for electroweak baryogenesis, altered dark matter production, and gravitational wave production, as we briefly comment upon.

QCD-Electroweak First-Order Phase Transition in a Supercooled Universe.

Science.gov (United States)

Iso, Satoshi; Serpico, Pasquale D; Shimada, Kengo

2017-10-06

If the electroweak sector of the standard model is described by classically conformal dynamics, the early Universe evolution can be substantially altered. It is already known that-contrarily to the standard model case-a first-order electroweak phase transition may occur. Here we show that, depending on the model parameters, a dramatically different scenario may happen: A first-order, six massless quark QCD phase transition occurs first, which then triggers the electroweak symmetry breaking. We derive the necessary conditions for this dynamics to occur, using the specific example of the classically conformal B-L model. In particular, relatively light weakly coupled particles are predicted, with implications for collider searches. This scenario is also potentially rich in cosmological consequences, such as renewed possibilities for electroweak baryogenesis, altered dark matter production, and gravitational wave production, as we briefly comment upon.

Optimized broad-histogram simulations for strong first-order phase transitions: droplet transitions in the large-Q Potts model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bauer, Bela; Troyer, Matthias; Gull, Emanuel; Trebst, Simon; Huse, David A

2010-01-01

The numerical simulation of strongly first-order phase transitions has remained a notoriously difficult problem even for classical systems due to the exponentially suppressed (thermal) equilibration in the vicinity of such a transition. In the absence of efficient update techniques, a common approach for improving equilibration in Monte Carlo simulations is broadening the sampled statistical ensemble beyond the bimodal distribution of the canonical ensemble. Here we show how a recently developed feedback algorithm can systematically optimize such broad-histogram ensembles and significantly speed up equilibration in comparison with other extended ensemble techniques such as flat-histogram, multicanonical and Wang–Landau sampling. We simulate, as a prototypical example of a strong first-order transition, the two-dimensional Potts model with up to Q = 250 different states in large systems. The optimized histogram develops a distinct multi-peak structure, thereby resolving entropic barriers and their associated phase transitions in the phase coexistence region—such as droplet nucleation and annihilation, and droplet–strip transitions for systems with periodic boundary conditions. We characterize the efficiency of the optimized histogram sampling by measuring round-trip times τ(N, Q) across the phase transition for samples comprised of N spins. While we find power-law scaling of τ versus N for small Q∼ 2 , we observe a crossover to exponential scaling for larger Q. These results demonstrate that despite the ensemble optimization, broad-histogram simulations cannot fully eliminate the supercritical slowing down at strongly first-order transitions

Optimized broad-histogram simulations for strong first-order phase transitions: droplet transitions in the large-Q Potts model

Science.gov (United States)

Bauer, Bela; Gull, Emanuel; Trebst, Simon; Troyer, Matthias; Huse, David A.

2010-01-01

The numerical simulation of strongly first-order phase transitions has remained a notoriously difficult problem even for classical systems due to the exponentially suppressed (thermal) equilibration in the vicinity of such a transition. In the absence of efficient update techniques, a common approach for improving equilibration in Monte Carlo simulations is broadening the sampled statistical ensemble beyond the bimodal distribution of the canonical ensemble. Here we show how a recently developed feedback algorithm can systematically optimize such broad-histogram ensembles and significantly speed up equilibration in comparison with other extended ensemble techniques such as flat-histogram, multicanonical and Wang-Landau sampling. We simulate, as a prototypical example of a strong first-order transition, the two-dimensional Potts model with up to Q = 250 different states in large systems. The optimized histogram develops a distinct multi-peak structure, thereby resolving entropic barriers and their associated phase transitions in the phase coexistence region—such as droplet nucleation and annihilation, and droplet-strip transitions for systems with periodic boundary conditions. We characterize the efficiency of the optimized histogram sampling by measuring round-trip times τ(N, Q) across the phase transition for samples comprised of N spins. While we find power-law scaling of τ versus N for small Q \\lesssim 50 and N \\lesssim 40^2 , we observe a crossover to exponential scaling for larger Q. These results demonstrate that despite the ensemble optimization, broad-histogram simulations cannot fully eliminate the supercritical slowing down at strongly first-order transitions.

The detection of higher-order acoustic transitions is reflected in the N1 ERP.

Science.gov (United States)

Weise, Annekathrin; Schröger, Erich; Horváth, János

2018-01-30

The auditory system features various types of dedicated change detectors enabling the rapid parsing of auditory stimulation into distinct events. The activity of such detectors is reflected by the N1 ERP. Interestingly, certain acoustic transitions show an asymmetric N1 elicitation pattern: whereas first-order transitions (e.g., a change from a segment of constant frequency to a frequency glide [c-to-g change]) elicit N1, higher-order transitions (e.g., glide-to-constant [g-to-c] changes) do not. Consensus attributes this asymmetry to the absence of any available sensory mechanism that is able to rapidly detect higher-order changes. In contrast, our study provides compelling evidence for such a mechanism. We collected electrophysiological and behavioral data in a transient-detection paradigm. In each condition, a random (50%-50%) sequence of two types of tones occurred, which did or did not contain a transition (e.g., c-to-g and constant stimuli or g-to-c and glide tones). Additionally, the rate of pitch change of the glide varied (i.e., 10 vs. 40 semitones per second) in order to increase the number of responding neural assemblies. The rate manipulation modulated transient ERPs and behavioral detection performance for g-to-c transitions much stronger than for c-to-g transitions. The topographic and tomographic analyses suggest that the N1 response to c-to-g and also to g-to-c transitions emerged from the superior temporal gyrus. This strongly supports a sensory mechanism that allows the fast detection of higher-order changes. © 2018 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Rounding by disorder of first-order quantum phase transitions: emergence of quantum critical points.

Science.gov (United States)

Goswami, Pallab; Schwab, David; Chakravarty, Sudip

2008-01-11

We give a heuristic argument for disorder rounding of a first-order quantum phase transition into a continuous phase transition. From both weak and strong disorder analysis of the N-color quantum Ashkin-Teller model in one spatial dimension, we find that, for N > or =3, the first-order transition is rounded to a continuous transition and the physical picture is the same as the random transverse field Ising model for a limited parameter regime. The results are strikingly different from the corresponding classical problem in two dimensions where the fate of the renormalization group flows is a fixed point corresponding to N-decoupled pure Ising models.

Critical Line of the Deconfinement Phase Transitions

Science.gov (United States)

Gorenstein, Mark I.

Phase diagram of strongly interacting matter is discussed within the exactly solvable statistical model of the quark-gluon bags. The model predicts two phases of matter: the hadron gas at a low temperature T and baryonic chemical potential μ B , and the quark-gluon gas at a high T and/or μ B . The nature of the phase transition depends on a form of the bag massvolume spectrum (its pre-exponential factor), which is expected to change with the μ B /T ratio. It is therefore likely that the line of the 1 st order transition at a high μ B/T ratio is followed by the line of the 2 nd order phase transition at an intermediate μ B/T, and then by the lines of "higher order transitions" at a low μ B /T. This talk is based on a recent paper (Gorenstein, Gaździcki, and Greiner, 2005).

Echoes of inflationary first-order phase transitions in the CMB

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jiang, Hongliang, E-mail: hjiangag@connect.ust.hk [Department of Physics, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Hong Kong); Liu, Tao, E-mail: taoliu@ust.hk [Department of Physics, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Hong Kong); Sun, Sichun, E-mail: sichun@uw.edu [Jockey Club Institute for Advanced Study, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Hong Kong); Wang, Yi, E-mail: phyw@ust.hk [Department of Physics, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Hong Kong)

2017-02-10

Cosmological phase transitions (CPTs), such as the Grand Unified Theory (GUT) and the electroweak (EW) ones, play a significant role in both particle physics and cosmology. In this letter, we propose to probe the first-order CPTs, by detecting gravitational waves (GWs) which are generated during the phase transitions through the cosmic microwave background (CMB). If happened around the inflation era, the first-order CPTs may yield low-frequency GWs due to bubble dynamics, leaving imprints on the CMB. In contrast to the nearly scale-invariant primordial GWs caused by vacuum fluctuation, these bubble-generated GWs are scale dependent and have non-trivial B-mode spectra. If decoupled from inflaton, the EWPT during inflation may serve as a probe for the one after reheating where the baryon asymmetry could be generated via EW baryogenesis (EWBG). The CMB thus provides a potential way to test the feasibility of the EWBG, complementary to the collider measurements of Higgs potential and the direct detection of GWs generated during EWPT.

Transition, coexistence, and interaction of vector localized waves arising from higher-order effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Chong; Yang, Zhan-Ying; Zhao, Li-Chen; Yang, Wen-Li

2015-01-01

We study vector localized waves on continuous wave background with higher-order effects in a two-mode optical fiber. The striking properties of transition, coexistence, and interaction of these localized waves arising from higher-order effects are revealed in combination with corresponding modulation instability (MI) characteristics. It shows that these vector localized wave properties have no analogues in the case without higher-order effects. Specifically, compared to the scalar case, an intriguing transition between bright–dark rogue waves and w-shaped–anti-w-shaped solitons, which occurs as a result of the attenuation of MI growth rate to vanishing in the zero-frequency perturbation region, is exhibited with the relative background frequency. In particular, our results show that the w-shaped–anti-w-shaped solitons can coexist with breathers, coinciding with the MI analysis where the coexistence condition is a mixture of a modulation stability and MI region. It is interesting that their interaction is inelastic and describes a fusion process. In addition, we demonstrate an annihilation phenomenon for the interaction of two w-shaped solitons which is identified essentially as an inelastic collision in this system. -- Highlights: •Vector rogue wave properties induced by higher-order effects are studied. •A transition between vector rogue waves and solitons is obtained. •The link between the transition and modulation instability (MI) is demonstrated. •The coexistence of vector solitons and breathers coincides with the MI features. •An annihilation phenomenon for the vector two w-shaped solitons is presented.

Transition, coexistence, and interaction of vector localized waves arising from higher-order effects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Chong [School of Physics, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069 (China); Yang, Zhan-Ying, E-mail: zyyang@nwu.edu.cn [School of Physics, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069 (China); Zhao, Li-Chen, E-mail: zhaolichen3@163.com [School of Physics, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069 (China); Yang, Wen-Li [Institute of Modern Physics, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069 (China)

2015-11-15

We study vector localized waves on continuous wave background with higher-order effects in a two-mode optical fiber. The striking properties of transition, coexistence, and interaction of these localized waves arising from higher-order effects are revealed in combination with corresponding modulation instability (MI) characteristics. It shows that these vector localized wave properties have no analogues in the case without higher-order effects. Specifically, compared to the scalar case, an intriguing transition between bright–dark rogue waves and w-shaped–anti-w-shaped solitons, which occurs as a result of the attenuation of MI growth rate to vanishing in the zero-frequency perturbation region, is exhibited with the relative background frequency. In particular, our results show that the w-shaped–anti-w-shaped solitons can coexist with breathers, coinciding with the MI analysis where the coexistence condition is a mixture of a modulation stability and MI region. It is interesting that their interaction is inelastic and describes a fusion process. In addition, we demonstrate an annihilation phenomenon for the interaction of two w-shaped solitons which is identified essentially as an inelastic collision in this system. -- Highlights: •Vector rogue wave properties induced by higher-order effects are studied. •A transition between vector rogue waves and solitons is obtained. •The link between the transition and modulation instability (MI) is demonstrated. •The coexistence of vector solitons and breathers coincides with the MI features. •An annihilation phenomenon for the vector two w-shaped solitons is presented.

Order-disorder transitions in C60 and C70

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramasesha, S.K.

1995-01-01

In recent years enormous effort has been put in understanding the chemical and physical properties of C 60 and C 70 . Order-disorder transition in C 60 occurs around 250 K at ambient pressure. At the transition freely rotating molecules get orientationally ordered in a simple cubic lattice. Application of pressure increases the transition temperature at a rate of ≅ 10 K kbar -1 , indicating that pressure favours the ordered state. The DSC and x-ray studies on C 70 indicate two phase transitions, one around 270 K and the other around 340 K at room pressure. These transitions also occur at higher temperatures at higher pressures. Application of pressure is found to lift the degeneracy of the energetically equivalent rotational configurations. The high pressure studies are reviewed in the light of existing literature. (author)

Invasion-wave-induced first-order phase transition in systems of active particles.

Science.gov (United States)

Ihle, Thomas

2013-10-01

An instability near the transition to collective motion of self-propelled particles is studied numerically by Enskog-like kinetic theory. While hydrodynamics breaks down, the kinetic approach leads to steep solitonlike waves. These supersonic waves show hysteresis and lead to an abrupt jump of the global order parameter if the noise level is changed. Thus they provide a mean-field mechanism to change the second-order character of the phase transition to first order. The shape of the wave is shown to follow a scaling law and to quantitatively agree with agent-based simulations.

Order-disorder antiferroelectric phase transition in a hybrid inorganic-organic framework with the perovskite architecture.

Science.gov (United States)

Jain, Prashant; Dalal, Naresh S; Toby, Brian H; Kroto, Harold W; Cheetham, Anthony K

2008-08-13

[(CH3)2NH2]Zn(HCOO)3, 1, adopts a structure that is analogous to that of a traditional perovskite, ABX3, with A = [(CH3)2NH2], B = Zn, and X = HCOO. The hydrogen atoms of the dimethyl ammonium cation, which hydrogen bond to oxygen atoms of the formate framework, are disordered at room temperature. X-ray powder diffraction, dielectric constant, and specific heat data show that 1 undergoes an order-disorder phase transition on cooling below 156 K. We present evidence that this is a classical paraelectric to antiferroelectric phase transition that is driven by ordering of the hydrogen atoms. This sort of electrical ordering associated with order-disorder phase transition is unprecedented in hybrid frameworks and opens up an exciting new direction in rational synthetic strategies to create extended hybrid networks for applications in ferroic-related fields.

Study of multi-layer active magnetic regenerators using magnetocaloric materials with first and second order phase transition

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lei, Tian; Engelbrecht, Kurt; Nielsen, Kaspar Kirstein

2016-01-01

Magnetocaloric materials (MCM) with a first order phase transition (FOPT) usually exhibit a large, although sharp, isothermal entropy change near their Curie temperature, compared to materials with a second order phase transition (SOPT). Experimental results of applying FOPT materials in recent...

Echoes of inflationary first-order phase transitions in the CMB

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hongliang Jiang

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Cosmological phase transitions (CPTs, such as the Grand Unified Theory (GUT and the electroweak (EW ones, play a significant role in both particle physics and cosmology. In this letter, we propose to probe the first-order CPTs, by detecting gravitational waves (GWs which are generated during the phase transitions through the cosmic microwave background (CMB. If happened around the inflation era, the first-order CPTs may yield low-frequency GWs due to bubble dynamics, leaving imprints on the CMB. In contrast to the nearly scale-invariant primordial GWs caused by vacuum fluctuation, these bubble-generated GWs are scale dependent and have non-trivial B-mode spectra. If decoupled from inflaton, the EWPT during inflation may serve as a probe for the one after reheating where the baryon asymmetry could be generated via EW baryogenesis (EWBG. The CMB thus provides a potential way to test the feasibility of the EWBG, complementary to the collider measurements of Higgs potential and the direct detection of GWs generated during EWPT.

Phase transitions in nuclear physics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moretto, L.G.; Phair, L.; Wozniak, G.J.

1997-08-01

A critical overview of the low energy phase transitions in nuclei is presented with particular attention to the 2nd (1st) order pairing phase transitions, and to the 1st order liquid-vapor phase transition. The role of fluctuations in washing out these transitions is discussed and illustrated with examples. A robust indicator of phase coexistence in multifragmentation is presented.

Phase transitions in nuclear physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moretto, L.G.; Phair, L.; Wozniak, G.J.

1997-08-01

A critical overview of the low energy phase transitions in nuclei is presented with particular attention to the 2nd (1st) order pairing phase transitions, and to the 1st order liquid-vapor phase transition. The role of fluctuations in washing out these transitions is discussed and illustrated with examples. A robust indicator of phase coexistence in multifragmentation is presented

Phase transitions in surfactant monolayers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Casson, B.D.

1998-01-01

Two-dimensional phase transitions have been studied in surfactant monolayers at the air/water interface by sum-frequency spectroscopy and ellipsometry. In equilibrium monolayers of medium-chain alcohols C n H 2n+1 OH (n = 9-14) a transition from a two-dimensional crystalline phase to a liquid was observed at temperatures above the bulk melting point. The small population of gauche defects in the solid phase increased only slightly at the phase transition. A model of the hydrocarbon chains as freely rotating rigid rods allowed the area per molecule and chain tilt in the liquid phase to be determined. The area per molecule, chain tilt and density of the liquid phase all increased with increasing chain length, but for each chain length the density was higher than in a bulk liquid hydrocarbon. In a monolayer of decanol adsorbed at the air/water interface a transition from a two-dimensional liquid to a gas was observed. A clear discontinuity in the coefficient of ellipticity as a function of temperature showed that the transition is first-order. This result suggests that liquid-gas phase transitions in surfactant monolayers may be more widespread than once thought. A solid-liquid phase transition has also been studied in mixed monolayers of dodecanol with an anionic surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulphate) and with a homologous series of cationic surfactants (alkyltrimethylammonium bromides: C n TABs, n = 12, 14, 16). The composition and structure of the mixed monolayers was studied above and below the phase transition. At low temperatures the mixed monolayers were as densely packed as a monolayer of pure dodecanol in its solid phase. At a fixed temperature the monolayers under-went a first-order phase transition to form a phase that was less dense and more conformationally disordered. The proportion of ionic surfactant in the mixed monolayer was greatest in the high temperature phase. As the chain length of the C n TAB increased the number of conformational defects

Effect of elastic compliances and higher order Landau coefficients on the phase diagram of single domain epitaxial Pb(Zr,TiO3 (PZT thin films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Mtebwa

2014-12-01

Full Text Available We report the qualitative study of the influence of both elastic compliances and higher order terms of Landau free energy potential on the phase diagram of Pb(Zr0.5Ti0.5O3 thin films by using a single domain Landau theory. Although the impact of elastic compliances and higher order terms of the Landau free energy potential on the phase diagram of ferroelectric thin films are known, the sensitivity of the phase diagram of PZT thin film on these parameters have not been reported. It is demonstrated that, while values of elastic compliances affect the positions of the phase boundaries including phase transition temperature of the cubic phase; higher order terms can potentially introduce an a1a2-phase previously predicted in PbTiO3 phase diagram.

Energy barriers between metastable states in first-order quantum phase transitions

Science.gov (United States)

Wald, Sascha; Timpanaro, André M.; Cormick, Cecilia; Landi, Gabriel T.

2018-02-01

A system of neutral atoms trapped in an optical lattice and dispersively coupled to the field of an optical cavity can realize a variation of the Bose-Hubbard model with infinite-range interactions. This model exhibits a first-order quantum phase transition between a Mott insulator and a charge density wave, with spontaneous symmetry breaking between even and odd sites, as was recently observed experimentally [Landig et al., Nature (London) 532, 476 (2016), 10.1038/nature17409]. In the present paper, we approach the analysis of this transition using a variational model which allows us to establish the notion of an energy barrier separating the two phases. Using a discrete WKB method, we then show that the local tunneling of atoms between adjacent sites lowers this energy barrier and hence facilitates the transition. Within our simplified description, we are thus able to augment the phase diagram of the model with information concerning the height of the barrier separating the metastable minima from the global minimum in each phase, which is an essential aspect for the understanding of the reconfiguration dynamics induced by a quench across a quantum critical point.

First-Order Transitions and the Magnetic Phase Diagram of CeSb

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lebech, Bente; Clausen, Kurt Nørgaard; Vogt, O.

1980-01-01

might exist in the magnetic phase diagram of CeSb at 16K for a field of approximately 0.3 T. The present study concludes that the transitions from the paramagnetic to the magnetically ordered states are of first order for fields below 0.8 T. Within the experimental accuracy no change has been observed......The high-temperature (14-17K) low-magnetic field (0-0.8 T) region of the phase diagram of the anomalous antiferromagnet CeSb has been reinvestigated by neutron diffraction in an attempt to locate a possible tricritical point. Previous neutron diffraction studies indicated that a tricritical point...

Phase transitions in a lattice population model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Windus, Alastair; Jensen, Henrik J

2007-01-01

We introduce a model for a population on a lattice with diffusion and birth/death according to 2A→3A and A→Φ for a particle A. We find that the model displays a phase transition from an active to an absorbing state which is continuous in 1 + 1 dimensions and of first-order in higher dimensions in agreement with the mean field equation. For the (1 + 1)-dimensional case, we examine the critical exponents and a scaling function for the survival probability and show that it belongs to the universality class of directed percolation. In higher dimensions, we look at the first-order phase transition by plotting a histogram of the population density and use the presence of phase coexistence to find an accurate value for the critical point in 2 + 1 dimensions

Reentrant phase transitions of higher-dimensional AdS black holes in dRGT massive gravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zou, De-Cheng; Yue, Ruihong; Zhang, Ming

2017-01-01

We study the P-V criticality and phase transition in the extended phase space of anti-de Sitter (AdS) black holes in higher-dimensional de Rham, Gabadadze and Tolley (dRGT) massive gravity, treating the cosmological constant as pressure and the corresponding conjugate quantity is interpreted as thermodynamic volume. Besides the usual small/large black hole phase transitions, the interesting thermodynamic phenomena of reentrant phase transitions (RPTs) are observed for black holes in all d ≥ 6-dimensional spacetime when the coupling coefficients c_im"2 of massive potential satisfy some certain conditions. (orig.)

Gravitational waves from a first-order electroweak phase transition: a brief review.

Science.gov (United States)

Weir, David J

2018-03-06

We review the production of gravitational waves by an electroweak first-order phase transition. The resulting signal is a good candidate for detection at next-generation gravitational wave detectors, such as LISA. Detection of such a source of gravitational waves could yield information about physics beyond the Standard Model that is complementary to that accessible to current and near-future collider experiments. We summarize efforts to simulate and model the phase transition and the resulting production of gravitational waves.This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Higgs cosmology'. © 2018 The Author(s).

Quasi-liquid layer theory based on the bulk first-order phase transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ryzhkin, I. A.; Petrenko, V. F.

2009-01-01

The theory of the superionic phase transition (bulk first-order transition) proposed in [1] is used to explain the existence of a quasi-liquid layer at an ice surface below its melting point. An analytical expression is derived for the quasi-liquid layer thickness. Numerical estimates are made and compared with experiment. Distinction is made between the present model and other quasi-liquid layer theories

First order phase transition of a long polymer chain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aristoff, David; Radin, Charles

2011-01-01

We consider a model consisting of a self-avoiding polygon occupying a variable density of the sites of a square lattice. A fixed energy is associated with each 90 0 bend of the polygon. We use a grand canonical ensemble, introducing parameters μ and β to control average density and average (total) energy of the polygon, and show by Monte Carlo simulation that the model has a first order, nematic phase transition across a curve in the β-μ plane.

Isotropic–Nematic Phase Transitions in Gravitational Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roupas, Zacharias; Kocsis, Bence [Institute of Physics, Eötvös University, Pázmány P. s. 1/A, Budapest, 1117 (Hungary); Tremaine, Scott [Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ 08540 (United States)

2017-06-20

We examine dense self-gravitating stellar systems dominated by a central potential, such as nuclear star clusters hosting a central supermassive black hole. Different dynamical properties of these systems evolve on vastly different timescales. In particular, the orbital-plane orientations are typically driven into internal thermodynamic equilibrium by vector resonant relaxation before the orbital eccentricities or semimajor axes relax. We show that the statistical mechanics of such systems exhibit a striking resemblance to liquid crystals, with analogous ordered-nematic and disordered-isotropic phases. The ordered phase consists of bodies orbiting in a disk in both directions, with the disk thickness depending on temperature, while the disordered phase corresponds to a nearly isotropic distribution of the orbit normals. We show that below a critical value of the total angular momentum, the system undergoes a first-order phase transition between the ordered and disordered phases. At a critical point, the phase transition becomes second order, while for higher angular momenta there is a smooth crossover. We also find metastable equilibria containing two identical disks with mutual inclinations between 90° and 180°.

Reentrant phase transitions of higher-dimensional AdS black holes in dRGT massive gravity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zou, De-Cheng; Yue, Ruihong [Yangzhou University, College of Physical Science and Technology, Yangzhou (China); Zhang, Ming [Xi' an Aeronautical University, Faculty of Science, Xi' an (China)

2017-04-15

We study the P-V criticality and phase transition in the extended phase space of anti-de Sitter (AdS) black holes in higher-dimensional de Rham, Gabadadze and Tolley (dRGT) massive gravity, treating the cosmological constant as pressure and the corresponding conjugate quantity is interpreted as thermodynamic volume. Besides the usual small/large black hole phase transitions, the interesting thermodynamic phenomena of reentrant phase transitions (RPTs) are observed for black holes in all d ≥ 6-dimensional spacetime when the coupling coefficients c{sub i}m{sup 2} of massive potential satisfy some certain conditions. (orig.)

Order-disorder phase transitions in Au-Cu nanocubes: from nano-thermodynamics to synthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Mendoza-Cruz, R; Bazán-Diaz, L; Velázquez-Salazar, J J; Samaniego-Benitez, J E; Ascencio-Aguirre, F M; Herrera-Becerra, R; José-Yacamán, M; Guisbiers, G

2017-07-13

Catalysts have been widely used in industries and can be optimized by tuning the composition and chemical ordering of the elements involved in the nano-alloy. Among bi-metallic alloys, the Au-Cu system is of particular interest because it exhibits ordered phases at low temperatures. Nevertheless, the temperature at which these ordered structures are formed is totally unknown at the nanoscale. Consequently, to speed up the development of these catalysts, this paper theoretically predicts the structural phase transitions between ordered and disordered phases for the Au-Cu system by using nano-thermodynamics. Following the predictions, the suggested annealing temperatures have been carefully chosen and consequently, Au-Cu ordered nanocubes have been successfully synthesized through a solventless protocol. The results are fully supported by electron microscopy observations.

On the chiral phase transition in the linear sigma model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tran Huu Phat; Nguyen Tuan Anh; Le Viet Hoa

2003-01-01

The Cornwall- Jackiw-Tomboulis (CJT) effective action for composite operators at finite temperature is used to investigate the chiral phase transition within the framework of the linear sigma model as the low-energy effective model of quantum chromodynamics (QCD). A new renormalization prescription for the CJT effective action in the Hartree-Fock (HF) approximation is proposed. A numerical study, which incorporates both thermal and quantum effect, shows that in this approximation the phase transition is of first order. However, taking into account the higher-loop diagrams contribution the order of phase transition is unchanged. (author)

Second order phase transition in thermodynamic geometry and holographic superconductivity in low-energy stringy black holes

Science.gov (United States)

Rizwan, C. L. Ahmed; Vaid, Deepak

2018-05-01

We study holographic superconductivity in low-energy stringy Garfinkle-Horowitz-Strominger (GHS) dilaton black hole background. We finds that superconducting properties are much similar to s-wave superconductors. We show that the second-order phase transition indicated from thermodynamic geometry is not different from superconducting phase transition.

Phase transformations in Higher Manganese Silicides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Allam, A. [MADIREL, UMR 7246 CNRS - Universite Aix-Marseille, av Normandie-Niemen, 13397 Marseille Cedex 20 (France); IM2NP, UMR 7334 CNRS - Universite Aix-Marseille, av Normandie-Niemen, Case 142, 13397 Marseille Cedex 20 (France); Boulet, P. [MADIREL, UMR 7246 CNRS - Universite Aix-Marseille, av Normandie-Niemen, 13397 Marseille Cedex 20 (France); Nunes, C.A. [Departamento de Engenharia de Materiais (DEMAR), Escola de Engenharia de Lorena (EEL), Universidade de Sao Paulo - USP, Caixa Postal 116, 12600-970 Lorena, Sao Paulo (Brazil); Sopousek, J.; Broz, P. [Masaryk University, Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry, Kolarska 2, 611 37 Brno (Czech Republic); Masaryk University, Central European Institute of Technology, CEITEC, Kamenice 753/5, 625 00 Brno (Czech Republic); Record, M.-C., E-mail: m-c.record@univ-cezanne.fr [IM2NP, UMR 7334 CNRS - Universite Aix-Marseille, av Normandie-Niemen, Case 142, 13397 Marseille Cedex 20 (France)

2013-02-25

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The phase transitions of the Higher Manganese Silicides were investigated. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The samples were characterised by XRD, DTA and DSC. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Mn{sub 27}Si{sub 47} is the stable phase at room temperature and under atmospheric pressure. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer At around 800 Degree-Sign C, Mn{sub 27}Si{sub 47} is transformed into Mn{sub 15}Si{sub 26}. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The phase transition is of a second order. - Abstract: This work is an investigation of the phase transformations of the Higher Manganese Silicides in the temperature range [100-1200 Degree-Sign C]. Several complementary experimental techniques were used, namely in situ X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). The evolution of both the lattice parameters and the thermal expansion coefficients was determined from in situ XRD measurements. The stability of the samples was investigated by thermal analysis (DTA) and Cp measurements (DSC). This study shows that Mn{sub 27}Si{sub 47} which is the stable phase at room temperature and under atmospheric pressure undergoes a phase transformation at around 800 Degree-Sign C. Mn{sub 27}Si{sub 47} is transformed into Mn{sub 15}Si{sub 26}. This phase transformation seems to be of a second order one. Indeed it was not evidenced by DTA and by contrast it appears on the Cp curve.

A Preisach approach to modeling partial phase transitions in the first order magnetocaloric material MnFe(P,As)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

von Moos, Lars; Bahl, C.R.H.; Nielsen, Kaspar Kirstein

2014-01-01

of MnFe(P,As) under partial phase transitions, which is similar to what materials experience in actual magnetic refrigeration devices. Partial phase transition curves, in the absence of a magnetic field, are measured using calorimetry and the experimental results are compared to simulations......Magnetic refrigeration is an emerging technology that could provide energy efficient and environmentally friendly cooling. Magnetocaloric materials in which a structural phase transition is found concurrently with the magnetic phase transition are often termed first order magnetocaloric materials....... Such materials are potential candidates for application in magnetic refrigeration devices. However, the first order materials often have adverse properties such as hysteresis, making actual performance troublesome to quantify, a subject not thoroughly studied within this field.Here we investigate the behavior...

Metal-Insulator Transition Driven by Vacancy Ordering in GeSbTe Phase Change Materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Bragaglia, Valeria; Arciprete, Fabrizio; Zhang, Wei; Mio, Antonio Massimiliano; Zallo, Eugenio; Perumal, Karthick; Giussani, Alessandro; Cecchi, Stefano; Boschker, Jos Emiel; Riechert, Henning; Privitera, Stefania; Rimini, Emanuele; Mazzarello, Riccardo; Calarco, Raffaella

2016-04-01

Phase Change Materials (PCMs) are unique compounds employed in non-volatile random access memory thanks to the rapid and reversible transformation between the amorphous and crystalline state that display large differences in electrical and optical properties. In addition to the amorphous-to-crystalline transition, experimental results on polycrystalline GeSbTe alloys (GST) films evidenced a Metal-Insulator Transition (MIT) attributed to disorder in the crystalline phase. Here we report on a fundamental advance in the fabrication of GST with out-of-plane stacking of ordered vacancy layers by means of three distinct methods: Molecular Beam Epitaxy, thermal annealing and application of femtosecond laser pulses. We assess the degree of vacancy ordering and explicitly correlate it with the MIT. We further tune the ordering in a controlled fashion attaining a large range of resistivity. Employing ordered GST might allow the realization of cells with larger programming windows.

Metal - Insulator Transition Driven by Vacancy Ordering in GeSbTe Phase Change Materials

Science.gov (United States)

Bragaglia, Valeria; Arciprete, Fabrizio; Zhang, Wei; Mio, Antonio Massimiliano; Zallo, Eugenio; Perumal, Karthick; Giussani, Alessandro; Cecchi, Stefano; Boschker, Jos Emiel; Riechert, Henning; Privitera, Stefania; Rimini, Emanuele; Mazzarello, Riccardo; Calarco, Raffaella

2016-04-01

Phase Change Materials (PCMs) are unique compounds employed in non-volatile random access memory thanks to the rapid and reversible transformation between the amorphous and crystalline state that display large differences in electrical and optical properties. In addition to the amorphous-to-crystalline transition, experimental results on polycrystalline GeSbTe alloys (GST) films evidenced a Metal-Insulator Transition (MIT) attributed to disorder in the crystalline phase. Here we report on a fundamental advance in the fabrication of GST with out-of-plane stacking of ordered vacancy layers by means of three distinct methods: Molecular Beam Epitaxy, thermal annealing and application of femtosecond laser pulses. We assess the degree of vacancy ordering and explicitly correlate it with the MIT. We further tune the ordering in a controlled fashion attaining a large range of resistivity. Employing ordered GST might allow the realization of cells with larger programming windows.

Acoustic waves and the detectability of first-order phase transitions by eLISA

Science.gov (United States)

Weir, David J.

2017-05-01

In various extensions of the Standard Model it is possible that the electroweak phase transition was first order. This would have been a violent process, involving the formation of bubbles and associated shock waves. Not only would the collision of these bubbles and shock waves be a detectable source of gravitational waves, but persistent acoustic waves could enhance the signal and improve prospects of detection by eLISA. I summarise the results of a recent campaign to model such a phase transition based on large-scale hydrodynamical simulations, and its implications for the eLISA mission.

Holographic entanglement entropy in two-order insulator/superconductor transitions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peng, Yan, E-mail: yanpengphy@163.com; Liu, Guohua

2017-04-10

We study holographic superconductor model with two orders in the five dimensional AdS soliton background away from the probe limit. We disclose properties of phase transitions mostly from the holographic topological entanglement entropy approach. Our results show that the entanglement entropy is useful in investigating transitions in this general model and in particular, there is a new type of first order phase transition in the insulator/superconductor system. We also give some qualitative understanding and obtain the analytical condition for this first order phase transition to occur. As a summary, we draw the complete phase diagram representing effects of the scalar charge on phase transitions.

First order phase transition of expanding matter and its fragmentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chikazumi, Shinpei; Iwamoto, Akira

2002-01-01

Using an expanding matter model with a Lennard-Jones potential, the instability of the expanding system is investigated. The pressure, the temperature, and the density fluctuations are calculated as functions of density during the time evolution of the expanding matter, which are compared to the coexistence curve calculated by the Gibbs ensemble. The expanding matter undergoes the first order phase transition in the limit of the quasistatic expansion. The resultant fragment mass distributions are also investigated. (author)

Gravitationally compact objects as nucleation sites for first-order vacuum phase transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samuel, D.A.; Hiscock, W.A.

1992-01-01

A characteristic of first-order phase transitions is their ability to be initiated by nucleation sites. In this paper we consider the role that gravitationally compact objects may play as nucleation sites for first-order phase transitions within quantum fields. As the presence of nucleation sites may prevent the onset of supercooling, the existence of nucleation sites for phase transitions within quantum fields may play an important role in some inflationary models of the Universe, in which the Universe is required to exist in a supercooled state for a period of time. In this paper we calculate the Euclidean action for an O(3) bubble nucleating about a gravitationally compact object, taken to be a boson star for simplicity. The gravitational field of the boson star is taken to be a small perturbation on flat space, and the O(3) action is calculated to linear order as a perturbation on the O(4) action. The Euclidean bubble profile is found by solving the (Higgs) scalar field equation numerically; the thin-wall approximation is not used. The gravitationally compact objects are found to have the effect of reducing the Euclidean action of the nucleating bubble, as compared to the Euclidean action for the bubble in flat spacetime. The effect is strongest when the size of the gravitationally compact object is comparable to the size of the nucleating bubble. Further, the size of the decrease in action increases as the nucleating ''star'' is made more gravitationally compact. Thus, gravitationally compact objects may play the role of nucleation sites. However, their importance to the process of false-vacuum decay is strongly dependent upon their number density within the Universe

Analysis of the first-order phase transition of (Mn,Fe)2(P,Si,Ge) using entropy change scaling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, G F; Zhao, Z R; Zhang, X F; Song, L; Tegus, O

2013-01-01

For materials with small size of the discontinuities of the free energy derivatives at transition, it is not so easy to determine the order of the transition using the criterion of the Arrott plot. In our previous paper, we found that the Mn 2−x Fe x P 0.6 Si 0.25 Ge 0.15 compounds with x = 0.7 and 0.8 undergo first-order phase transitions but apparently shows some characteristics of a second-order phase transition. In this paper, we have employed the Arrott plot and entropy change scaling to analyse the nature of the transitions for those compounds. The results reveal that the use of entropy change scaling is more effective than the Arrott plot for determining the nature of the transition in such materials. (paper)

Compositional modeling of three-phase flow with gravity using higher-order finite element methods

KAUST Repository

Moortgat, Joachim

2011-05-11

A wide range of applications in subsurface flow involve water, a nonaqueous phase liquid (NAPL) or oil, and a gas phase, such as air or CO2. The numerical simulation of such processes is computationally challenging and requires accurate compositional modeling of three-phase flow in porous media. In this work, we simulate for the first time three-phase compositional flow using higher-order finite element methods. Gravity poses complications in modeling multiphase processes because it drives countercurrent flow among phases. To resolve this issue, we propose a new method for the upwinding of three-phase mobilities. Numerical examples, related to enhanced oil recovery and carbon sequestration, are presented to illustrate the capabilities of the proposed algorithm. We pay special attention to challenges associated with gravitational instabilities and take into account compressibility and various phase behavior effects, including swelling, viscosity changes, and vaporization. We find that the proposed higher-order method can capture sharp solution discontinuities, yielding accurate predictions of phase boundaries arising in computational three-phase flow. This work sets the stage for a broad extension of the higher-order methods for numerical simulation of three-phase flow for complex geometries and processes.

Unconventional phase transitions in liquid crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Kats, E. I.

2017-12-01

According to classical textbooks on thermodynamics or statistical physics, there are only two types of phase transitions: continuous, or second-order, in which the latent heat L is zero, and first-order, in which L ≠ 0. Present-day textbooks and monographs also mention another, stand-alone type—the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition, which exists only in two dimensions and shares some features with first- and second-order phase transitions. We discuss examples of non-conventional thermodynamic behavior (i.e., which is inconsistent with the theoretical phase transition paradigm now universally accepted). For phase transitions in smectic liquid crystals, mechanisms for nonconventional behavior are proposed and the predictions they imply are examined.

Towards the theory of the electroweak phase transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dine, M.; Leigh, R.G.; Huet, P.; Linde, A.; Linde, D.

1992-01-01

We investigate various problems related to the theory of the electroweak phase transition. This includes determination of the nature of the phase transition, discussion of the possible role of the higher-order radiative corrections, and the theory of the formation and evolution of bubbles of the new phase. We show, in particular, that no dangerous linear terms in the scalar field φ appear in the expression for the effective potential. We have found that, for the Higgs-boson mass smaller than the masses of W and Z bosons, the phase transition is of the first order. However, its strength is approximately 2/3 times less than what follows from the one-loop approximation. The phase transition occurs due to production and expansion of critical bubbles. Subcritical bubbles may be important only if the phase transition is very weakly first order. A general analytic expression for the probability of the bubble formation is obtained, which may be used for study of tunneling in a wide class of theories. The bubble-wall velocity depends on many factors, including the ratio of the mean free path of the particles to the thickness of the wall. Thin walls in the electroweak theory have a nonrelativistic velocity, whereas thick walls may be relativistic. A decrease of the cubic term by the factor 2/3 rules our baryogenesis in the minimal version of the electroweak theory. Even though we concentrate in this paper on the phase transition in this theory, most of our results can be applied to more general models as well, where baryogenesis is possible

Phase transitions in 3D gravity and fractal dimension

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Xi; Maguire, Shaun; Maloney, Alexander; Maxfield, Henry

2018-05-01

We show that for three dimensional gravity with higher genus boundary conditions, if the theory possesses a sufficiently light scalar, there is a second order phase transition where the scalar field condenses. This three dimensional version of the holographic superconducting phase transition occurs even though the pure gravity solutions are locally AdS3. This is in addition to the first order Hawking-Page-like phase transitions between different locally AdS3 handlebodies. This implies that the Rényi entropies of holographic CFTs will undergo phase transitions as the Rényi parameter is varied, as long as the theory possesses a scalar operator which is lighter than a certain critical dimension. We show that this critical dimension has an elegant mathematical interpretation as the Hausdorff dimension of the limit set of a quotient group of AdS3, and use this to compute it, analytically near the boundary of moduli space and numerically in the interior of moduli space. We compare this to a CFT computation generalizing recent work of Belin, Keller and Zadeh, bounding the critical dimension using higher genus conformal blocks, and find a surprisingly good match.

Smoothed transitions in higher spin AdS gravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Banerjee, Shamik; Shenker, Stephen; Castro, Alejandra; Hellerman, Simeon; Hijano, Eliot; Lepage-Jutier, Arnaud; Maloney, Alexander

2013-01-01

We consider CFTs conjectured to be dual to higher spin theories of gravity in AdS 3 and AdS 4 . Two-dimensional CFTs with W N symmetry are considered in the λ = 0 (k → ∞) limit where they are conjectured to be described by continuous orbifolds. The torus partition function is computed, using reasonable assumptions, and equals that of a free-field theory. We find no phase transition at temperatures of order 1; the usual Hawking–Page phase transition is removed by the highly degenerate light states associated with conical defect states in the bulk. Three-dimensional Chern–Simons matter CFTs with vector-like matter are considered on T 3 , where the dynamics is described by an effective theory for the eigenvalues of the holonomies. Likewise, we find no evidence for a Hawking–Page phase transition at a large level k. (paper)

Magnetic Fields at First Order Phase Transition: A Threat to Electroweak Baryogenesis

CERN Document Server

De Simone, Andrea; Quiros, Mariano; Riotto, Antonio

2011-01-01

The generation of the observed baryon asymmetry may have taken place during the electroweak phase transition, thus involving physics testable at LHC, a scenario dubbed electroweak baryogenesis. In this paper we point out that the magnetic field which is produced in the bubbles of a first order phase transition endangers the baryon asymmetry produced in the bubble walls. The reason being that the produced magnetic field couples to the sphaleron magnetic moment and lowers the sphaleron energy; this strengthens the sphaleron transitions inside the bubbles and triggers a more effective wash out of the baryon asymmetry. We apply this scenario to the Minimal Supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model (MSSM) where, in the absence of a magnetic field, successful electroweak baryogenesis requires the lightest CP-even Higgs and the right-handed stop masses to be lighter than about 127 GeV and 120 GeV, respectively. We show that even for moderate values of the magnetic field, the Higgs mass required to preserve the ...

Electroweak phase transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, G.W.

1991-01-01

An analytic treatment of the one Higgs doublet, electroweak phase transition is given. The phase transition is first order, occurs by the nucleation of thin walled bubbles and completes at a temperature where the order parameter, left-angle φ right-angle T is significantly smaller than it is when the origin becomes absolutely unstable. The rate of anomalous baryon number violation is an exponentially function of left-angle φ right-angle T . In very minimal extensions of the standard model it is quite easy to increase left-angle φ right-angle T so that anomalous baryon number violation is suppressed after completion of the phase transition. Hence baryogenesis at the electroweak phase transition is tenable in minimal of the standard model. In some cases additional phase transitions are possible. For a light Higgs boson, when the top quark mass is sufficiently large, the state where the Higgs field has a vacuum expectation value left-angle φ right-angle = 246 GeV is not the true minimum of the Higgs potential. When this is the case, and when the top quark mass exceeds some critical value, thermal fluctuations in the early universe would have rendered the state left-angle φ right-angle = 246 GeV unstable. The requirement that the state left-angle φ right-angle = 246 GeV is sufficiently long lived constrains the masses of the Higgs boson and the top quark. Finally, we consider whether local phase transitions can be induced by heavy particles which act as seeds for deformations in the scalar field

Euclidean Dynamical Triangulation revisited: is the phase transition really 1st order?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rindlisbacher, Tobias; Forcrand, Philippe de

2015-01-01

The transition between the two phases of 4D Euclidean Dynamical Triangulation (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0370-2693(92)90709-D) was long believed to be of second order until in 1996 first order behavior was found for sufficiently large systems (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0550-3213(96)00214-3, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0370-2693(96)01277-4). However, one may wonder if this finding was affected by the numerical methods used: to control volume fluctuations, in both studies (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0550-3213(96)00214-3, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0370-2693(96)01277-4) an artificial harmonic potential was added to the action and in (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0370-2693(96)01277-4) measurements were taken after a fixed number of accepted instead of attempted moves which introduces an additional error. Finally the simulations suffer from strong critical slowing down which may have been underestimated. In the present work, we address the above weaknesses: we allow the volume to fluctuate freely within a fixed interval; we take measurements after a fixed number of attempted moves; and we overcome critical slowing down by using an optimized parallel tempering algorithm (http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1742-5468/2010/01/P01020). With these improved methods, on systems of size up to N_4=64k 4-simplices, we confirm that the phase transition is 1"s"t order. In addition, we discuss a local criterion to decide whether parts of a triangulation are in the elongated or crumpled state and describe a new correspondence between EDT and the balls in boxes model. The latter gives rise to a modified partition function with an additional, third coupling. Finally, we propose and motivate a class of modified path-integral measures that might remove the metastability of the Markov chain and turn the phase transition into 2"n"d order.

Correlation functions in first-order phase transitions

Science.gov (United States)

Garrido, V.; Crespo, D.

1997-09-01

Most of the physical properties of systems underlying first-order phase transitions can be obtained from the spatial correlation functions. In this paper, we obtain expressions that allow us to calculate all the correlation functions from the droplet size distribution. Nucleation and growth kinetics is considered, and exact solutions are obtained for the case of isotropic growth by using self-similarity properties. The calculation is performed by using the particle size distribution obtained by a recently developed model (populational Kolmogorov-Johnson-Mehl-Avrami model). Since this model is less restrictive than that used in previously existing theories, the result is that the correlation functions can be obtained for any dependence of the kinetic parameters. The validity of the method is tested by comparison with the exact correlation functions, which had been obtained in the available cases by the time-cone method. Finally, the correlation functions corresponding to the microstructure developed in partitioning transformations are obtained.

Martensitic phase transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petry, W.; Neuhaus, J.

1996-01-01

Many elements transform from a high temperature bcc phase to a more dense packed temperature phase. The great majority of these transitions are of 1st order, displacive and reconstructive. The lattice potentials which govern these martensitic transitions can be probed by inelastic neutron scattering, thereby answering fundamental questions like : Will the transition be announced by dynamical or static fluctuations? What are the trajectories for the displacements needed for the transformation? Does the vibrational entropy stabilize the high temperature phase? Are the unusual transport properties in these materials related to their ability to transform? (author) 17 figs., 1 tab., 46 refs

Martensitic phase transitions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Petry, W; Neuhaus, J [Techn. Universitaet Muenchen, Physik Department E13, Munich (Germany)

1996-11-01

Many elements transform from a high temperature bcc phase to a more dense packed temperature phase. The great majority of these transitions are of 1st order, displacive and reconstructive. The lattice potentials which govern these martensitic transitions can be probed by inelastic neutron scattering, thereby answering fundamental questions like : Will the transition be announced by dynamical or static fluctuations? What are the trajectories for the displacements needed for the transformation? Does the vibrational entropy stabilize the high temperature phase? Are the unusual transport properties in these materials related to their ability to transform? (author) 17 figs., 1 tab., 46 refs.

A Preisach approach to modeling partial phase transitions in the first order magnetocaloric material MnFe(P,As)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moos, L. von, E-mail: lmoo@dtu.dk [Department of Energy Conversion and Storage, Technical University of Denmark, 4000 Roskilde (Denmark); Bahl, C.R.H.; Nielsen, K.K.; Engelbrecht, K. [Department of Energy Conversion and Storage, Technical University of Denmark, 4000 Roskilde (Denmark); Küpferling, M.; Basso, V. [Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica, 10135 Torino (Italy)

2014-02-15

Magnetic refrigeration is an emerging technology that could provide energy efficient and environmentally friendly cooling. Magnetocaloric materials in which a structural phase transition is found concurrently with the magnetic phase transition are often termed first order magnetocaloric materials. Such materials are potential candidates for application in magnetic refrigeration devices. However, the first order materials often have adverse properties such as hysteresis, making actual performance troublesome to quantify, a subject not thoroughly studied within this field. Here we investigate the behavior of MnFe(P,As) under partial phase transitions, which is similar to what materials experience in actual magnetic refrigeration devices. Partial phase transition curves, in the absence of a magnetic field, are measured using calorimetry and the experimental results are compared to simulations of a Preisach-type model. We show that this approach is applicable and discuss what experimental data is required to obtain a satisfactory material model.

Evidence for a second-order phase transition around 350 K in Ce3Rh4Sn13

Science.gov (United States)

Kuo, C. N.; Chen, W. T.; Tseng, C. W.; Hsu, C. J.; Huang, R. Y.; Chou, F. C.; Kuo, Y. K.; Lue, C. S.

2018-03-01

We report an observation of a phase transition in Ce3Rh4Sn13 with the transition temperature T*≃350 K by means of synchrotron x-ray powder diffraction, specific heat, electrical resistivity, Seebeck coefficient, thermal conductivity, as well as 119Sn nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements. The phase transition has been characterized by marked features near T* in all measured physical quantities. The lack of thermal hysteresis in the specific heat indicates a second-order phase transition in nature. From the NMR analysis, the change in the transferred hyperfine coupling constant for two tin sites has been resolved. The obtained result has been associated with the reduction in the averaged interatomic distance between Ce and Sn atoms, particularly for the Sn2 atoms. It indicates that the movement of the Sn2 atoms, which deforms the high-temperature structure, shortens the Ce-Sn2 bond length at low temperatures. We therefore provide a concise picture that the observed second-order phase transition at T* of Ce3Rh4Sn13 should be characterized by a structural modulation essentially due to lattice distortions arising from phonon instability.

Microscopic origin of black hole reentrant phase transitions

Science.gov (United States)

Zangeneh, M. Kord; Dehyadegari, A.; Sheykhi, A.; Mann, R. B.

2018-04-01

Understanding the microscopic behavior of the black hole ingredients has been one of the important challenges in black hole physics during the past decades. In order to shed some light on the microscopic structure of black holes, in this paper, we explore a recently observed phenomenon for black holes namely reentrant phase transition, by employing the Ruppeiner geometry. Interestingly enough, we observe two properties for the phase behavior of small black holes that leads to reentrant phase transition. They are correlated and they are of the interaction type. For the range of pressure in which the system underlies reentrant phase transition, it transits from the large black holes phase to the small one which possesses higher correlation than the other ranges of pressures. On the other hand, the type of interaction between small black holes near the large/small transition line differs for usual and reentrant phase transitions. Indeed, for the usual case, the dominant interaction is repulsive whereas for the reentrant case we encounter an attractive interaction. We show that in the reentrant phase transition case, the small black holes behave like a bosonic gas whereas in the usual phase transition case, they behave like a quantum anyon gas.

Third-order gas-liquid phase transition and the nature of Andrews critical point

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tian Ma

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The main objective of this article is to study the nature of the Andrews critical point in the gas-liquid transition in a physical-vapor transport (PVT system. A dynamical model, consistent with the van der Waals equation near the Andrews critical point, is derived. With this model, we deduce two physical parameters, which interact exactly at the Andrews critical point, and which dictate the dynamic transition behavior near the Andrews critical point. In particular, it is shown that 1 the gas-liquid co-existence curve can be extended beyond the Andrews critical point, and 2 the transition is first order before the critical point, second-order at the critical point, and third order beyond the Andrews critical point. This clearly explains why it is hard to observe the gas-liquid phase transition beyond the Andrews critical point. Furthermore, the analysis leads naturally the introduction of a general asymmetry principle of fluctuations and the preferred transition mechanism for a thermodynamic system. The theoretical results derived in this article are in agreement with the experimental results obtained in (K. Nishikawa and T. Morita, Fluid behavior at supercritical states studied by small-angle X-ray scattering, Journal of Supercritical Fluid, 13 (1998, pp. 143-148. Also, the derived second-order transition at the critical point is consistent with the result obtained in (M. Fisher, Specific heat of a gas near the critical point, Physical Review, 136:6A (1964, pp. A1599-A1604.

Compact Stars with Sequential QCD Phase Transitions

Science.gov (United States)

Alford, Mark; Sedrakian, Armen

2017-10-01

Compact stars may contain quark matter in their interiors at densities exceeding several times the nuclear saturation density. We explore models of such compact stars where there are two first-order phase transitions: the first from nuclear matter to a quark-matter phase, followed at a higher density by another first-order transition to a different quark-matter phase [e.g., from the two-flavor color-superconducting (2SC) to the color-flavor-locked (CFL) phase]. We show that this can give rise to two separate branches of hybrid stars, separated from each other and from the nuclear branch by instability regions, and, therefore, to a new family of compact stars, denser than the ordinary hybrid stars. In a range of parameters, one may obtain twin hybrid stars (hybrid stars with the same masses but different radii) and even triplets where three stars, with inner cores of nuclear matter, 2SC matter, and CFL matter, respectively, all have the same mass but different radii.

Symmetry and Phase Transitions in Nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iachello, F.

2009-01-01

Phase transitions in nuclei have received considerable attention in recent years, especially after the discovery that, contrary to expectations, systems at the critical point of a phase transition display a simple structure. In this talk, quantum phase transitions (QPT), i.e. phase transitions that occur as a function of a coupling constant that appears in the quantum Hamiltonian, H, describing the system, will be reviewed and experimental evidence for their occurrence in nuclei will be presented. The phase transitions discussed in the talk will be shape phase transitions. Different shapes have different symmetries, classified by the dynamic symmetries of the Interacting Boson Model, U(5), SU(3) and SO(6). Very recently, the concept of Quantum Phase Transitions has been extended to Excited State Quantum Phase Transitions (ESQPT). This extension will be discussed and some evidence for incipient ESQPT in nuclei will be presented. Systems at the critical point of a phase transition are called 'critical systems'. Approximate analytic formulas for energy spectra and other properties of 'critical nuclei', in particular for nuclei at the critical point of the second order U(5)-SO(6) transition, called E(5), and along the line of first order U(5)-SU(3) transitions, called X(5), will be presented. Experimental evidence for 'critical nuclei' will be also shown. Finally, the microscopic derivation of shape phase transitions in nuclei within the framework of density functional methods will be briefly discussed.(author)

Entanglement and local extremes at an infinite-order quantum phase transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rulli, C. C.; Sarandy, M. S.

2010-01-01

The characterization of an infinite-order quantum phase transition (QPT) by entanglement measures is analyzed. To this aim, we consider two closely related solvable spin-1/2 chains, namely, the Ashkin-Teller and the staggered XXZ models. These systems display a distinct pattern of eigenstates but exhibit the same thermodynamics, that is, the same energy spectrum. By performing exact diagonalization, we investigate the behavior of pairwise and block entanglement in the ground state of both models. In contrast with the XXZ chain, we show that pairwise entanglement fails in the characterization of the infinite-order QPT in the Ashkin-Teller model, although it can be achieved by analyzing the distance of the pair state from the separability boundary. Concerning block entanglement, we show that both XXZ and Ashkin-Teller models exhibit identical von Neumann entropies as long as a suitable choice of blocks is performed. Entanglement entropy is then shown to be able to identify the quantum phase diagram, even though its local extremes (either maximum or minimum) may also appear in the absence of any infinite-order QPT.

Structural phase transitions and Huang scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamada, Yasusada

1980-01-01

The usefulness of the application of the concept of Huang scattering to the understandings of the origin of diffuse scatterings near structural phase transitions are discussed. It is pointed out that in several phase transitions, the observed diffuse scatterings can not be interpreted in terms of critical fluctuations of the order parameters associated with the structural phase transitions, and that they are rather interpreted as Huang scattering due to random distribution of individual order parameter which is 'dressed' by strain fields. Examples to show effective applications of this concept to analyze the experimental X-ray data and whence to understand microscopic mechanisms of structural phase transitions are presented. (author)

Behavior of the antiferromagnetic phase transition near the fermion condensation quantum phase transition in YbRh{sub 2}Si{sub 2}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shaginyan, V.R., E-mail: vrshag@thd.pnpi.spb.r [Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute, RAS, Gatchina 188300 (Russian Federation); Racah Institute of Physics, Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904 (Israel); Amusia, M.Ya. [Racah Institute of Physics, Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904 (Israel); Popov, K.G. [Komi Science Center, Ural Division, RAS, Syktyvkar 167982 (Russian Federation)

2010-01-11

Low-temperature specific-heat measurements on YbRh{sub 2}Si{sub 2} at the second order antiferromagnetic (AF) phase transition reveal a sharp peak at T{sub N}=72 mK. The corresponding critical exponent alpha turns out to be alpha=0.38, which differs significantly from that obtained within the framework of the fluctuation theory of second order phase transitions based on the scale invariance, where alphaapprox =0.1. We show that under the application of magnetic field the curve of the second order AF phase transitions passes into a curve of the first order ones at the tricritical point leading to a violation of the critical universality of the fluctuation theory. This change of the phase transition is generated by the fermion condensation quantum phase transition. Near the tricritical point the Landau theory of second order phase transitions is applicable and gives alphaapprox =1/2. We demonstrate that this value of alpha is in good agreement with the specific-heat measurements.

The Phase Transition of Higher Dimensional Charged Black Holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Huaifan; Zhao, Ren; Zhang, Lichun; Guo, Xiongying

2016-01-01

We have studied phase transitions of higher dimensional charge black hole with spherical symmetry. We calculated the local energy and local temperature and find that these state parameters satisfy the first law of thermodynamics. We analyze the critical behavior of black hole thermodynamic system by taking state parameters (Q,Φ) of black hole thermodynamic system, in accordance with considering the state parameters (P,V) of van der Waals system, respectively. We obtain the critical point of black hole thermodynamic system and find that the critical point is independent of the dual independent variables we selected. This result for asymptotically flat space is consistent with that for AdS spacetime and is intrinsic property of black hole thermodynamic system.

First- and second-order metal-insulator phase transitions and topological aspects of a Hubbard-Rashba system

Science.gov (United States)

Marcelino, Edgar

2017-05-01

This paper considers a model consisting of a kinetic term, Rashba spin-orbit coupling and short-range Coulomb interaction at zero temperature. The Coulomb interaction is decoupled by a mean-field approximation in the spin channel using field theory methods. The results feature a first-order phase transition for any finite value of the chemical potential and quantum criticality for vanishing chemical potential. The Hall conductivity is also computed using the Kubo formula in a mean-field effective Hamiltonian. In the limit of infinite mass the kinetic term vanishes and all the phase transitions are of second order; in this case the spontaneous symmetry-breaking mechanism adds a ferromagnetic metallic phase to the system and features a zero-temperature quantization of the Hall conductivity in the insulating one.

Metal-semiconductor phase transition of order arrays of VO2 nanocrystals

Science.gov (United States)

Lopez, Rene; Suh, Jae; Feldman, Leonard; Haglund, Richard

2004-03-01

The study of solid-state phase transitions at nanometer length scales provides new insights into the effects of material size on the mechanisms of structural transformations. Such research also opens the door to new applications, either because materials properties are modified as a function of particle size, or because the nanoparticles interact with a surrounding matrix material, or with each other. In this paper, we describe the formation of vanadium dioxide nanoparticles in silicon substrates by pulsed laser deposition of ion beam lithographically selected sites and thermal processing. We observe the collective behavior of 50 nm diameter VO2 oblate nanoparticles, 10 nm high, and ordered in square arrays with arbitrary lattice constant. The metal-semiconductor-transition of the VO2 precipitates shows different features in each lattice spacing substrate. The materials are characterized by electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, Rutherford backscattering. The features of the phase transition are studied via infrared optical spectroscopy. Of particular interest are the enhanced scattering and the surface plasmon resonance when the particles reach the metallic state. This resonance amplifies the optical contrast in the range of near-infrared optical communication wavelengths and it is altered by the particle-particle coupling as in the case of noble metals. In addition the VO2 nanoparticles exhibit sharp transitions with up to 50 K of hysteresis, one of the largest values ever reported for this transition. The optical properties of the VO2 nanoarrays are correlated with the size of the precipitates and their inter-particle distance. Nonlinear and ultra fast optical measurements have shown that the transition is the fastest known solid-solid transformation. The VO2 nanoparticles show the same bulk property, transforming in times shorter than 150 fs. This makes them remarkable candidates for ultrafast optical and electronic switching applications.

Phase transitions between lower and higher level management learning in times of crisis: an experimental study based on synergetics.

Science.gov (United States)

Liening, Andreas; Strunk, Guido; Mittelstadt, Ewald

2013-10-01

Much has been written about the differences between single- and double-loop learning, or more general between lower level and higher level learning. Especially in times of a fundamental crisis, a transition between lower and higher level learning would be an appropriate reaction to a challenge coming entirely out of the dark. However, so far there is no quantitative method to monitor such a transition. Therefore we introduce theory and methods of synergetics and present results from an experimental study based on the simulation of a crisis within a business simulation game. Hypothesized critical fluctuations - as a marker for so-called phase transitions - have been assessed with permutation entropy. Results show evidence for a phase transition during the crisis, which can be interpreted as a transition between lower and higher level learning.

Phase domain structures in cylindrical magnets under conditions of a first-order magnetic phase transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dzhezherya, Yu.I.; Klymuk, O.S.

2011-01-01

The magnetic and resonance properties of cylindrical magnets at first-order phase transition from paramagnetic to ferromagnetic state were theoretically studied. It has been shown that in the external magnetic field directed perpendicularly to the rotation axis, formation of a specific domain structure of paramagnetic and ferromagnetic layers can be energetically favorable. The parameters of cylindrical phase domains as well as their dependences on temperature, magnetic field and material characteristics have been calculated. Peculiarities of the magnetic resonance spectra appearing as a result of the phase domain formation have been considered. Dependence of the resonance field of the system of ferromagnetic domains on magnetization and temperature has been obtained. - Highlights: → Parameters of the equilibrium system of cylindrical phase domains are calculated. → The range of fields for PM and FM phases coexistence is found. → FMR field of the disk domains is found to be lower than that of the PMR field.→ The resonance field increases with the decrease of temperature lower than T || .

Ordering phase transition in the one-dimensional Axelrod model

Science.gov (United States)

Vilone, D.; Vespignani, A.; Castellano, C.

2002-12-01

We study the one-dimensional behavior of a cellular automaton aimed at the description of the formation and evolution of cultural domains. The model exhibits a non-equilibrium transition between a phase with all the system sharing the same culture and a disordered phase of coexisting regions with different cultural features. Depending on the initial distribution of the disorder the transition occurs at different values of the model parameters. This phenomenology is qualitatively captured by a mean-field approach, which maps the dynamics into a multi-species reaction-diffusion problem.

Holographic metal-insulator transition in higher derivative gravity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ling, Yi, E-mail: lingy@ihep.ac.cn [Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China); Shanghai Key Laboratory of High Temperature Superconductors, Shanghai, 200444 (China); Liu, Peng, E-mail: liup51@ihep.ac.cn [Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China); Wu, Jian-Pin, E-mail: jianpinwu@mail.bnu.edu.cn [Institute of Gravitation and Cosmology, Department of Physics, School of Mathematics and Physics, Bohai University, Jinzhou 121013 (China); Shanghai Key Laboratory of High Temperature Superconductors, Shanghai, 200444 (China); Zhou, Zhenhua, E-mail: zhouzh@ihep.ac.cn [Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China)

2017-03-10

We introduce a Weyl term into the Einstein–Maxwell-Axion theory in four dimensional spacetime. Up to the first order of the Weyl coupling parameter γ, we construct charged black brane solutions without translational invariance in a perturbative manner. Among all the holographic frameworks involving higher derivative gravity, we are the first to obtain metal-insulator transitions (MIT) when varying the system parameters at zero temperature. Furthermore, we study the holographic entanglement entropy (HEE) of strip geometry in this model and find that the second order derivative of HEE with respect to the axion parameter exhibits maximization behavior near quantum critical points (QCPs) of MIT. It testifies the conjecture in that HEE itself or its derivatives can be used to diagnose quantum phase transition (QPT).

Quantum phase transition with dissipative frustration

Science.gov (United States)

Maile, D.; Andergassen, S.; Belzig, W.; Rastelli, G.

2018-04-01

We study the quantum phase transition of the one-dimensional phase model in the presence of dissipative frustration, provided by an interaction of the system with the environment through two noncommuting operators. Such a model can be realized in Josephson junction chains with shunt resistances and resistances between the chain and the ground. Using a self-consistent harmonic approximation, we determine the phase diagram at zero temperature which exhibits a quantum phase transition between an ordered phase, corresponding to the superconducting state, and a disordered phase, corresponding to the insulating state with localized superconducting charge. Interestingly, we find that the critical line separating the two phases has a nonmonotonic behavior as a function of the dissipative coupling strength. This result is a consequence of the frustration between (i) one dissipative coupling that quenches the quantum phase fluctuations favoring the ordered phase and (ii) one that quenches the quantum momentum (charge) fluctuations leading to a vanishing phase coherence. Moreover, within the self-consistent harmonic approximation, we analyze the dissipation induced crossover between a first and second order phase transition, showing that quantum frustration increases the range in which the phase transition is second order. The nonmonotonic behavior is reflected also in the purity of the system that quantifies the degree of correlation between the system and the environment, and in the logarithmic negativity as an entanglement measure that encodes the internal quantum correlations in the chain.

Commensurate-commensurate magnetic phase transitions in CeSb

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lebech, Bente; Broholm, C.; Clausen, K.

1986-01-01

The q=2/3 to q=4/7 commensurate-commensurate phase transition in CeSb has been studied by neutron diffraction. On cooling the commensurate wave vector q changes abruptly from 2/3 to a higher-order commensurate value (≈14/23) at T1

Unconventional phase transitions in a constrained single polymer chain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klushin, L I; Skvortsov, A M

2011-01-01

Phase transitions were recognized among the most fascinating phenomena in physics. Exactly solved models are especially important in the theory of phase transitions. A number of exactly solved models of phase transitions in a single polymer chain are discussed in this review. These are three models demonstrating the second order phase transitions with some unusual features: two-dimensional model of β-structure formation, the model of coil–globule transition and adsorption of a polymer chain grafted on the solid surface. We also discuss models with first order phase transitions in a single macromolecule which admit not only exact analytical solutions for the partition function with explicit finite-size effects but also the non-equilibrium free energy as a function of the order parameter (Landau function) in closed analytical form. One of them is a model of mechanical desorption of a macromolecule, which demonstrates an unusual first order phase transition with phase coexistence within a single chain. Features of first and second order transitions become mixed here due to phase coexistence which is not accompanied by additional interfacial free energy. Apart from that, there exist several single-chain models belonging to the same class (adsorption of a polymer chain tethered near the solid surface or liquid–liquid interface, and escape transition upon compressing a polymer between small pistons) that represent examples of a highly unconventional first order phase transition with several inter-related unusual features: no simultaneous phase coexistence, and hence no phase boundary, non-concave thermodynamic potential and non-equivalence of conjugate ensembles. An analysis of complex zeros of partition functions upon approaching the thermodynamic limit is presented for models with and without phase coexistence. (topical review)

Gravity waves from the non-renormalizable electroweak vacua phase transition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Greenwood, Eric [Case Western Reserve Univ., Cleveland, OH (United States). Dept. of Physics; Vaudrevange, Pascal M. [Case Western Reserve Univ., Cleveland, OH (United States). Dept. of Physics; Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany)

2010-11-15

It is currently believed that the Standard Model is an effective low energy theory which in principle may contain higher dimensional non-renormalizable operators. These operators may modify the standard model Higgs potential in many ways, one of which being the appearance of a second vacuum. For a wide range of parameters, this new vacuum becomes the true vacuum. It is then assumed that our universe is currently sitting in the false vacuum. Thus the usual second-order electroweak phase transition at early times will be followed by a second, first-order phase transition. In cosmology, a first-order phase transition is associated with the production of gravity waves. In this paper we present an analysis of the production of gravitational waves during such a second electroweak phase transition. We find that, for one certain range of parameters, the stochastic background of gravitational waves generated by bubble nucleation and collision have an amplitude which is estimated to be of order {omega}{sub GW}h{sup 2}{proportional_to}10{sup -11} at f=3 x 10{sup -4} Hz, which is within reach of the planned sensitivity of LISA. For another range of parameters, we find that the amplitude is estimated to be of order {omega}{sub GW}h{sup 2}{proportional_to} 0{sup -25} around f=10{sup 3} Hz, which is within reach of LIGO. Hence, it is possible to detect gravity waves from such a phase transition at two different detectors, with completely different amplitude and frequency ranges. (orig.)

Exceptional points near first- and second-order quantum phase transitions.

Science.gov (United States)

Stránský, Pavel; Dvořák, Martin; Cejnar, Pavel

2018-01-01

We study the impact of quantum phase transitions (QPTs) on the distribution of exceptional points (EPs) of the Hamiltonian in the complex-extended parameter domain. Analyzing first- and second-order QPTs in the Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick model we find an exponentially and polynomially close approach of EPs to the respective critical point with increasing size of the system. If the critical Hamiltonian is subject to random perturbations of various kinds, the averaged distribution of EPs close to the critical point still carries decisive information on the QPT type. We therefore claim that properties of the EP distribution represent a parametrization-independent signature of criticality in quantum systems.

Search for the first-order liquid-to-liquid phase transition in low-temperature confined water by neutron scattering

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Sow-Hsin; Wang, Zhe; Kolesnikov, Alexander I.; Zhang, Yang; Liu, Kao-Hsiang

2013-02-01

It has been conjectured that a 1st order liquid-to-liquid (L-L) phase transition (LLPT) between high density liquid (HDL) and low density liquid (LDL) in supercooled water may exist, as a thermodynamic extension to the liquid phase of the 1st order transition established between the two bulk solid phases of amorphous ice, the high density amorphous ice (HDA) and the low density amorphous ice (LDA). In this paper, we first recall our previous attempts to establish the existence of the 1st order L-L phase transition through the use of two neutron scattering techniques: a constant Q elastic diffraction study of isobaric temperature scan of the D2O density, namely, the equation of state (EOS) measurements. A pronounced density hysteresis phenomenon in the temperature scan of the density above P = 1500 bar is observed which gives a plausible evidence of crossing the 1st order L-L phase transition line above this pressure; an incoherent quasi-elastic scattering measurements of temperature-dependence of the α-relaxation time of H2O at a series of pressures, namely, the study of the Fragile-to-Strong dynamic crossover (FSC) phenomenon as a function of pressure which we interpreted as the results of crossing the Widom line in the one-phase region. In this new experiment, we used incoherent inelastic neutron scattering (INS) to measure the density of states (DOS) of H atoms in H2O molecules in confined water as function of temperature and pressure, through which we may be able to follow the emergence of the LDL and HDL phases at supercooled temperature and high pressures. We here report for the first time the differences of librational and translational DOSs between the hypothetical HDL and LDL phases, which are similar to the corresponding differences between the well-established HDA and LDA ices. This is plausible evidence that the HDL and LDL phases are the thermodynamic extensions of the corresponding amorphous solid water HDA and LDA ices.

The nuclear liquid gas phase transition and phase coexistence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chomaz, Ph.

2001-01-01

In this talk we will review the different signals of liquid gas phase transition in nuclei. From the theoretical side we will first discuss the foundations of the concept of equilibrium, phase transition and critical behaviors in infinite and finite systems. From the experimental point of view we will first recall the evidences for some strong modification of the behavior of hot nuclei. Then we will review quantitative detailed analysis aiming to evidence phase transition, to define its order and phase diagram. Finally, we will present a critical discussion of the present status of phase transitions in nuclei and we will draw some lines for future development of this field. (author)

The nuclear liquid gas phase transition and phase coexistence

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chomaz, Ph

2001-07-01

In this talk we will review the different signals of liquid gas phase transition in nuclei. From the theoretical side we will first discuss the foundations of the concept of equilibrium, phase transition and critical behaviors in infinite and finite systems. From the experimental point of view we will first recall the evidences for some strong modification of the behavior of hot nuclei. Then we will review quantitative detailed analysis aiming to evidence phase transition, to define its order and phase diagram. Finally, we will present a critical discussion of the present status of phase transitions in nuclei and we will draw some lines for future development of this field. (author)

Modern theories of phase transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rajaraman, R.

1979-01-01

Modern applications of the ideas of phase transitions to nuclear systems and the modern techniques as applied to familiar phase transitions in solid-state physics are discussed with illustrations. The phenomenon of pion condensation in nuclei and neutron stars, is presented as an example of phase transitions in nuclear systems. The central physical ideas behind this subject as well as techniques used to tackle it are broadly summarised. It is pointed out that unlike familiar examples of ferromagnetism or superconductivity, the order parameter here has spatial variation even in the ground state. Possible experimental consequences are discussed. As an example of the second category, the use of renormalisation group techniques in solid state physics is reviewed. The basic idea behind the renormalisation group in the infra-red (thermodynamic) limit is presented. The observed universality and scaling of critical exponents in second order phase transitions is explained in a model-independent way. (auth.)

A model description of the first-order phase transition in MnFeP1-x As x

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tegus, O.; Lin, G.X.; Dagula, W.; Fuquan, B.; Zhang, L.; Brueck, E.; Boer, F.R. de; Buschow, K.H.J.

2005-01-01

We present a description of the critical behavior at the first-order phase transition in MnFeP 1- x As x system in terms of the Bean-Rodbell model. Within the molecular-field approximation, the Gibbs free energy of the system is expressed in terms of the exchange interaction, the elastic energy, the entropy term, the pressure term and the Zeeman energy. A magnetic-state equation has been obtained by minimizing the Gibbs free energy with respect to the volume and the magnetization. The characteristic parameters for the phase transition observed in this system have been obtained by fitting our experimental data. The results show that the magnetoelastic coupling plays a very important role in the mechanism of the phase transition

Direct visualization of phase separation between superconducting and nematic domains in Co-doped CaFe2As2 close to a first-order phase transition

Science.gov (United States)

Fente, Antón; Correa-Orellana, Alexandre; Böhmer, Anna E.; Kreyssig, Andreas; Ran, S.; Bud'ko, Sergey L.; Canfield, Paul C.; Mompean, Federico J.; García-Hernández, Mar; Munuera, Carmen; Guillamón, Isabel; Suderow, Hermann

2018-01-01

We show that biaxial strain induces alternating tetragonal superconducting and orthorhombic nematic domains in Co-substituted CaFe2As2 . We use atomic force, magnetic force, and scanning tunneling microscopy to identify the domains and characterize their properties, finding in particular that tetragonal superconducting domains are very elongated, more than several tens of micrometers long and about 30 nm wide; have the same Tc as unstrained samples; and hold vortices in a magnetic field. Thus, biaxial strain produces a phase-separated state, where each phase is equivalent to what is found on either side of the first-order phase transition between antiferromagnetic orthorhombic and superconducting tetragonal phases found in unstrained samples when changing Co concentration. Having such alternating superconducting domains separated by normal conducting domains with sizes of the order of the coherence length opens opportunities to build Josephson junction networks or vortex pinning arrays and suggests that first-order quantum phase transitions lead to nanometric-size phase separation under the influence of strain.

Sound Shell Model for Acoustic Gravitational Wave Production at a First-Order Phase Transition in the Early Universe.

Science.gov (United States)

Hindmarsh, Mark

2018-02-16

A model for the acoustic production of gravitational waves at a first-order phase transition is presented. The source of gravitational radiation is the sound waves generated by the explosive growth of bubbles of the stable phase. The model assumes that the sound waves are linear and that their power spectrum is determined by the characteristic form of the sound shell around the expanding bubble. The predicted power spectrum has two length scales, the average bubble separation and the sound shell width when the bubbles collide. The peak of the power spectrum is at wave numbers set by the sound shell width. For a higher wave number k, the power spectrum decreases to k^{-3}. At wave numbers below the inverse bubble separation, the power spectrum goes to k^{5}. For bubble wall speeds near the speed of sound where these two length scales are distinguished, there is an intermediate k^{1} power law. The detailed dependence of the power spectrum on the wall speed and the other parameters of the phase transition raises the possibility of their constraint or measurement at a future space-based gravitational wave observatory such as LISA.

Sound Shell Model for Acoustic Gravitational Wave Production at a First-Order Phase Transition in the Early Universe

Science.gov (United States)

Hindmarsh, Mark

2018-02-01

A model for the acoustic production of gravitational waves at a first-order phase transition is presented. The source of gravitational radiation is the sound waves generated by the explosive growth of bubbles of the stable phase. The model assumes that the sound waves are linear and that their power spectrum is determined by the characteristic form of the sound shell around the expanding bubble. The predicted power spectrum has two length scales, the average bubble separation and the sound shell width when the bubbles collide. The peak of the power spectrum is at wave numbers set by the sound shell width. For a higher wave number k , the power spectrum decreases to k-3. At wave numbers below the inverse bubble separation, the power spectrum goes to k5. For bubble wall speeds near the speed of sound where these two length scales are distinguished, there is an intermediate k1 power law. The detailed dependence of the power spectrum on the wall speed and the other parameters of the phase transition raises the possibility of their constraint or measurement at a future space-based gravitational wave observatory such as LISA.

Structural phase transitions in the ordered double perovskite Sr2MnTeO6

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ortega-San Martin, L; Chapman, J P; Hernandez-Bocanegra, E; Insausti, M; Arriortua, M I; Rojo, T

2004-01-01

The crystal structure of the ordered double perovskite Sr 2 MnTeO 6 has been refined at ambient temperature from high resolution neutron and x-ray powder diffraction data in the monoclinic space group P 12 1 /n 1 with a 5.7009(1) A, b = 5.6770(1) A, c = 8.0334(1) A and β = 90.085(1) deg. This represents a combination of in-phase (+) and out-of-phase (-) rotations of virtually undistorted MnO 6 and TeO 6 octahedra in the (-+) sense about the axes of the ideal cubic perovskite. High temperature x-ray powder diffraction shows three structural phase transitions at approximately 250, 550 and 675 deg. C, each corresponding to the disappearance of rotations about one of these axes. The first transition was analysed by differential scanning calorimetry and showed a thermal hysteresis with an enthalpy of 0.55 J g -1 . We propose the (P12 1 /n1 → I12/m1 → I4/m → Fm3barm) sequence of structural transitions which has not been previously reported for a double perovskite oxide

Exact extreme-value statistics at mixed-order transitions.

Science.gov (United States)

Bar, Amir; Majumdar, Satya N; Schehr, Grégory; Mukamel, David

2016-05-01

We study extreme-value statistics for spatially extended models exhibiting mixed-order phase transitions (MOT). These are phase transitions that exhibit features common to both first-order (discontinuity of the order parameter) and second-order (diverging correlation length) transitions. We consider here the truncated inverse distance squared Ising model, which is a prototypical model exhibiting MOT, and study analytically the extreme-value statistics of the domain lengths The lengths of the domains are identically distributed random variables except for the global constraint that their sum equals the total system size L. In addition, the number of such domains is also a fluctuating variable, and not fixed. In the paramagnetic phase, we show that the distribution of the largest domain length l_{max} converges, in the large L limit, to a Gumbel distribution. However, at the critical point (for a certain range of parameters) and in the ferromagnetic phase, we show that the fluctuations of l_{max} are governed by novel distributions, which we compute exactly. Our main analytical results are verified by numerical simulations.

Renormalization group approach to QCD phase transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Midorikawa, S.; Yoshimoto, S.; So, H.

1987-01-01

Effective scalar theories for QCD are proposed to investigate the deconfining and chiral phase transitions. The orders of the phase transitions are determined by infrared stabilities of the fixed points. It is found that the transitions in SU(3) gauge theories are of 1st order for any number of massless flavors. The cases of SU(2) and SU(4) gauge theories are also discussed. (orig.)

High temperature phase transitions without infrared divergences

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tetradis, N.; Wetterich, C.

1993-09-01

The most commonly used method for the study of high temperature phase transitions is based on the perturbative evaluation of the temperature dependent effective potential. This method becomes unreliable in the case of a second order or weakly first order phase transition, due to the appearance of infrared divergences. These divergences can be controlled through the method of the effective average action which employs renormalization group ideas. We report on the study of the high temperature phase transition for the N-component φ 4 theory. A detailed quantitative picture of the second order phase transition is presented, including the critical exponents for the behaviour in the vicinity of the critical temperature. An independent check of the results is obtained in the large N limit, and contact with the perturbative approach is established through the study of the Schwinger-Dyson equations. (orig.)

Strong first order electroweak phase transition in the CP-conserving 2HDM revisited

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Basler, P.; Krause, M.; Mühlleitner, M.; Wittbrodt, J.; Wlotzka, A.

2017-01-01

The discovery of the Higgs boson by the LHC experiments ATLAS and CMS has marked a milestone for particle physics. Yet, there are still many open questions that cannot be answered within the Standard Model (SM). For example, the generation of the observed matter-antimatter asymmetry in the universe through baryogenesis can only be explained qualitatively in the SM. A simple extension of the SM compatible with the current theoretical and experimental constraints is given by the 2-Higgs-Doublet Model (2HDM) where a second Higgs doublet is added to the Higgs sector. We investigate the possibility of a strong first order electroweak phase transition in the CP-conserving 2HDM type I and type II where either of the CP-even Higgs bosons is identified with the SM-like Higgs boson. The renormalisation that we apply on the loop-corrected Higgs potential allows us to efficiently scan the 2HDM parameter space and simultaneously take into account all relevant theoretical and up-to-date experimental constraints. The 2HDM parameter regions found to be compatible with the applied constraints and a strong electroweak phase transition are analysed systematically. Our results show that there is a strong interplay between the requirement of a strong phase transition and collider phenomenology with testable implications for searches at the LHC.

Strong first order electroweak phase transition in the CP-conserving 2HDM revisited

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Basler, P.; Krause, M.; Mühlleitner, M. [Institute for Theoretical Physics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology,Wolfgang-Gaede-Str. 1, 76131 Karlsruhe (Germany); Wittbrodt, J. [Institute for Theoretical Physics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology,Wolfgang-Gaede-Str. 1, 76131 Karlsruhe (Germany); Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY,Notkestraße 85, D-22607 Hamburg (Germany); Wlotzka, A. [Institute for Theoretical Physics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology,Wolfgang-Gaede-Str. 1, 76131 Karlsruhe (Germany)

2017-02-23

The discovery of the Higgs boson by the LHC experiments ATLAS and CMS has marked a milestone for particle physics. Yet, there are still many open questions that cannot be answered within the Standard Model (SM). For example, the generation of the observed matter-antimatter asymmetry in the universe through baryogenesis can only be explained qualitatively in the SM. A simple extension of the SM compatible with the current theoretical and experimental constraints is given by the 2-Higgs-Doublet Model (2HDM) where a second Higgs doublet is added to the Higgs sector. We investigate the possibility of a strong first order electroweak phase transition in the CP-conserving 2HDM type I and type II where either of the CP-even Higgs bosons is identified with the SM-like Higgs boson. The renormalisation that we apply on the loop-corrected Higgs potential allows us to efficiently scan the 2HDM parameter space and simultaneously take into account all relevant theoretical and up-to-date experimental constraints. The 2HDM parameter regions found to be compatible with the applied constraints and a strong electroweak phase transition are analysed systematically. Our results show that there is a strong interplay between the requirement of a strong phase transition and collider phenomenology with testable implications for searches at the LHC.

Order-disorder phase transition in the peroxidovanadium complex NH4[VO(O2)2(NH3)].

Science.gov (United States)

Schwendt, Peter; Gyepes, Róbert; Chrappová, Jana; Němec, Ivan; Vaněk, Přemysl

2018-07-05

Complex NH 4 [VO(O 2 ) 2 (NH 3 )] (1) undergoes an order-disorder phase transition at T c ~258K. This transition is accompanied by change in the space group of the orthorhombic lattice and also by significant structural rearrangements of the constituent molecules, which are pertinent mostly to their NH 4 + ions and their ammonia ligands. The low-temperature solid state IR and Raman spectra of 1 were corroborated by solid-state computations that employed Gaussian functions as the basis set. Results of these computations yielded excellent agreement with experimental data. On the curves of temperature dependence of vibrational modes, the phase transition is expressed by an abrupt change of the slope above T c . Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Magnetic properties of Gd5(Si1.5Ge2.5) near the temperature and magnetic field induced first order phase transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Levin, E.M.; Gschneidner, K.A.; Pecharsky, V.K.

2001-01-01

The temperature (from 5 to 300 K) and DC magnetic field (from 0 to 90 kOe) dependencies of the DC magnetization and magnetic susceptibility, and the temperature (from 5 to 350 K) dependency of the AC magnetic susceptibility of Gd 5 (Si 1.5 Ge 2.5 ) have been studied. The temperature and/or magnetic field induced magnetic phase transition in Gd 5 (Si 1.5 Ge 2.5 ) is a first order ferromagnet-paramagnet transition. The temperature of the magnetic transition in low AC magnetic field is 206 and 217 K for cooling and heating, respectively. The DC magnetic field increases the transition temperature by ∼0.36 K/kOe indicating that the paramagnetic phase can be reversibly transformed into the ferromagnetic phase. When the magnetic field is removed, the ferromagnetic phase transforms into the paramagnetic phase showing a large remanence-free hysteresis. The magnetic phase diagram based on the isothermal magnetic field dependence of the DC magnetization at various temperatures for Gd 5 (Si 1.5 Ge 2.5 ) is proposed. The magnetic field dependence of the magnetization in the vicinity of the first order phase transition shows evidence for the formation of a magnetically heterogeneous system in the volume of Gd 5 (Si 1.5 Ge 2.5 ) specimen where the magnetically ordered (ferromagnetic) and disordered (paramagnetic) phases co-exist

Phase transitions in finite systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chomaz, Ph. [Grand Accelerateur National d' Ions Lourds (GANIL), DSM-CEA / IN2P3-CNRS, 14 - Caen (France); Gulminelli, F. [Caen Univ., 14 (France). Lab. de Physique Corpusculaire

2002-07-01

In this series of lectures we will first review the general theory of phase transition in the framework of information theory and briefly address some of the well known mean field solutions of three dimensional problems. The theory of phase transitions in finite systems will then be discussed, with a special emphasis to the conceptual problems linked to a thermodynamical description for small, short-lived, open systems as metal clusters and data samples coming from nuclear collisions. The concept of negative heat capacity developed in the early seventies in the context of self-gravitating systems will be reinterpreted in the general framework of convexity anomalies of thermo-statistical potentials. The connection with the distribution of the order parameter will lead us to a definition of first order phase transitions in finite systems based on topology anomalies of the event distribution in the space of observations. Finally a careful study of the thermodynamical limit will provide a bridge with the standard theory of phase transitions and show that in a wide class of physical situations the different statistical ensembles are irreducibly inequivalent. (authors)

Phase transitions in finite systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chomaz, Ph.; Gulminelli, F.

2002-01-01

In this series of lectures we will first review the general theory of phase transition in the framework of information theory and briefly address some of the well known mean field solutions of three dimensional problems. The theory of phase transitions in finite systems will then be discussed, with a special emphasis to the conceptual problems linked to a thermodynamical description for small, short-lived, open systems as metal clusters and data samples coming from nuclear collisions. The concept of negative heat capacity developed in the early seventies in the context of self-gravitating systems will be reinterpreted in the general framework of convexity anomalies of thermo-statistical potentials. The connection with the distribution of the order parameter will lead us to a definition of first order phase transitions in finite systems based on topology anomalies of the event distribution in the space of observations. Finally a careful study of the thermodynamical limit will provide a bridge with the standard theory of phase transitions and show that in a wide class of physical situations the different statistical ensembles are irreducibly inequivalent. (authors)

Hadronization during quark-gluon plasma phase transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohanty, A.K.; Kataria, S.K.

1996-01-01

The hadron multiplicity distributions and factorial moments are studied in the framework of Landau theory of phase transitions. The factorial moments show a scaling law with a scaling exponent ν which characterizes the intermittency properties of the hadron phase for T c (or T t ) where T c (or T t ) is the transition temperature for second (or first) order transition. The scaling exponent ν is weakly dependent on the free energy parameters as well as on temperature. It is shown that ν remains practically constant in the hadron phase for which T c or T t whether the transition is second order or first order of second kind where the free energy expansion includes cubic term. This universality in the scaling exponent is also maintained above T c over a wide range of temperature even if the transition is strongly first order of first kind where the free energy expansion has only even order coefficients, except around the critical temperature T t where T t approx-gt T c . Therefore, the scaling exponent ν is rather more universal and only indicates the presence of a possible phase transition. It is further shown that the hadron multiplicity distribution is quite sensitive to the free energy parameters. The study of hadron multiplicity distribution at various resolution or bin size reveals more information about the dynamics of the phase transition. The calculated hadron multiplicity distributions are also compared with the negative binomial distribution, often used to explain the experimental multiplicity distributions. copyright 1996 The American Physical Society

The Widom-Rowlinson mixture on a sphere: elimination of exponential slowing down at first-order phase transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fischer, T; Vink, R L C

2010-01-01

Computer simulations of first-order phase transitions using 'standard' toroidal boundary conditions are generally hampered by exponential slowing down. This is partly due to interface formation, and partly due to shape transitions. The latter occur when droplets become large such that they self-interact through the periodic boundaries. On a spherical simulation topology, however, shape transitions are absent. We expect that by using an appropriate bias function, exponential slowing down can be largely eliminated. In this work, these ideas are applied to the two-dimensional Widom-Rowlinson mixture confined to the surface of a sphere. Indeed, on the sphere, we find that the number of Monte Carlo steps needed to sample a first-order phase transition does not increase exponentially with system size, but rather as a power law τ∝V α , with α∼2.5, and V the system area. This is remarkably close to a random walk for which α RW = 2. The benefit of this improved scaling behavior for biased sampling methods, such as the Wang-Landau algorithm, is investigated in detail.

Phase transition phenomenon: A compound measure analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Bo Soo; Park, Chanhi; Ryu, Doojin; Song, Wonho

2015-06-01

This study investigates the well-documented phenomenon of phase transition in financial markets using combined information from both return and volume changes within short time intervals. We suggest a new measure for the phase transition behaviour of markets, calculated as a return distribution conditional on local variance in volume imbalance, and show that this measure successfully captures phase transition behaviour under various conditions. We analyse the intraday trade and quote dataset from the KOSPI 200 index futures, which includes detailed information on the original order size and the type of each initiating investor. We find that among these two competing factors, the submitted order size yields more explanatory power on the phenomenon of market phase transition than the investor type.

Comparison of the order of magnetic phase transitions in several magnetocaloric materials using the rescaled universal curve, Banerjee and mean field theory criteria

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Burrola-Gándara, L. A., E-mail: andres.burrola@gmail.com; Santillan-Rodriguez, C. R.; Rivera-Gomez, F. J.; Saenz-Hernandez, R. J.; Botello-Zubiate, M. E.; Matutes-Aquino, J. A. [Departamento de Física de Materiales, Centro de Investigación en Materiales Avanzados, S.C., Miguel de Cervantes 120, Complejo Industrial Chihuahua, Chihuahua 31109 (Mexico)

2015-05-07

Magnetocaloric materials with second order phase transition near the Curie temperature can be described by critical phenomena theory. In this theory, scaling, universality, and renormalization are key concepts from which several phase transition order criteria are derived. In this work, the rescaled universal curve, Banerjee and mean field theory criteria were used to make a comparison for several magnetocaloric materials including pure Gd, SmCo{sub 1.8}Fe{sub 0.2}, MnFeP{sub 0.46}As{sub 0.54}, and La{sub 0.7}Ca{sub 0.15}Sr{sub 0.15}MnO{sub 3}. Pure Gd, SmCo{sub 1.8}Fe{sub 0.2}, and La{sub 0.7}Ca{sub 0.15}Sr{sub 0.15}MnO{sub 3} present a collapse of the rescaled magnetic entropy change curves into a universal curve, which indicates a second order phase transition; applying Banerjee criterion to H/σ vs σ{sup 2} Arrot plots and the mean field theory relation |ΔS{sub M}| ∝ (μ{sub 0}H/T{sub c}){sup 2/3} for the same materials also determines a second order phase transition. However, in the MnFeP{sub 0.46}As{sub 0.54} sample, the Banerjee criterion applied to the H/σ vs σ{sup 2} Arrot plot indicates a first order magnetic phase transition, while the mean field theory prediction for a second order phase transition, |ΔS{sub M}| ∝ (μ{sub 0}H/T{sub c}){sup 2/3}, describes a second order behavior. Also, a mixture of first and second order behavior was indicated by the rescaled universal curve criterion. The diverse results obtained for each criterion in MnFeP{sub 0.46}As{sub 0.54} are apparently related to the magnetoelastic effect and to the simultaneous presence of weak and strong magnetism in Fe (3f) and Mn (3g) alternate atomic layers, respectively. The simultaneous application of the universal curve, the Banerjee and the mean field theory criteria has allowed a better understanding about the nature of the order of the phase transitions in different magnetocaloric materials.

Berni Alder and Phase Transitions in Two Dimensions

Science.gov (United States)

Kosterlitz, J. Michael

I do not know Berni Alder as a person, but I feel that I know him well through his seminal paper "Phase Transition in Elastic Disks𠇍 by B. J. Alder and T. E. Wainwright [1962], which was essential in motivating David Thouless and myself to think about phase transitions in two dimensional systems with a continuous symmetry. In the early 1970's, the conventional wisdom was that a crystalline solid could not exist in a two dimensional world because of the rigorous Mermin-Wagner theorem prohibiting true long range translational order at any non-zero temperature. This contradiction was settled by the theory of dislocation mediated melting to an intermediate hexatic phase followed by a second transition to the isotropic fluid at a higher temperature. This scenario, with its associated sophisticated theory, seemed to settle the controversy of two dimensional melting once and for all. However, in our elation at understanding the fundamental physics and the essential excitations of melting in 2D, we had all forgotten that the early work of Berni Alder also showed that this melting involved a weak first order transition while theory now predicted melting by two successive continuous transitions with no discontinuity in area at the critical pressure. This discrepancy could be hand waved away by arguing that Berni's system was far too small and his computers far too slow so that the areal discontinuity could be due to finite size effects or to failing to equilibrate the system. Experiments were not able to resolve the order of the transitions, but seemed to agree quantitatively with theory…

Reconstructive phase transition in (NH4)3TiF7 accompanied by the ordering of TiF6 octahedra.

Science.gov (United States)

Molokeev, Maxim; Misjul, S V; Flerov, I N; Laptash, N M

2014-12-01

An unusual phase transition P4/mnc → Pa\\bar 3 has been detected after cooling the (NH4)3TiF7 compound. Some TiF6 octahedra, which are disordered in the room-temperature tetragonal structure, become ordered in the low-temperature cubic phase due to the disappearance of the fourfold axis. Other TiF6 octahedra undergo large rotations resulting in huge displacements of the F atoms by 1.5-1.8 Å that implies a reconstructive phase transition. It was supposed that phases P4/mbm and Pm\\bar 3m could be a high-temperature phase and a parent phase, respectively, in (NH4)3TiF7. Therefore, the sequence of phase transitions can be written as Pm\\bar 3m → P4/mbm → P4/mnc → Pa\\bar 3. The interrelation between (NH4)3TiF7, (NH4)3GeF7 and (NH4)3PbF7 is found, which allows us to suppose phase transitions in relative compounds.

Generalized definitions of phase transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chomaz, Ph.; Gulminelli, F.

2001-09-01

We define a first order phase transition as a bimodality of the event distribution in the space of observations and we show that this is equivalent to a curvature anomaly of the thermodynamical potential and that it implies the Yang Lee behavior of the zeros of the partition sum. Moreover, it allows to study phase transitions out of equilibrium. (authors)

Open volume defects and magnetic phase transition in Fe{sub 60}Al{sub 40} transition metal aluminide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liedke, M. O., E-mail: m.liedke@hzdr.de; Anwand, W.; Butterling, M.; Wagner, A. [Institute of Radiation Physics, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden - Rossendorf, Bautzner Landstraße 400, 01328 Dresden (Germany); Bali, R.; Cornelius, S.; Potzger, K. [Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden - Rossendorf, Bautzner Landstraße 400, 01328 Dresden (Germany); Trinh, T. T. [Institute of Radiation Physics, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden - Rossendorf, Bautzner Landstraße 400, 01328 Dresden (Germany); Technical University Dresden, Helmholtzstr. 10, 01609 Dresden (Germany); Salamon, S.; Walecki, D.; Smekhova, A.; Wende, H. [Faculty of Physics and Center for Nanointegration Duisburg-Essen (CENIDE), University of Duisburg-Essen, Lotharstraße 1, 47048 Duisburg (Germany)

2015-04-28

Magnetic phase transition in the Fe{sub 60}Al{sub 40} transition metal aluminide from the ferromagnetic disordered A2-phase to the paramagnetic ordered B2-phase as a function of annealing up to 1000 °C has been investigated by means of magneto-optical and spectroscopy techniques, i.e., Kerr effect, positron annihilation, and Mössbauer spectroscopy. The positron annihilation spectroscopy has been performed in-situ sequentially after each annealing step at the Apparatus for In-situ Defect Analysis that is a unique tool combining positron annihilation spectroscopy with temperature treatment, material evaporation, ion irradiation, and sheet resistance measurement techniques. The overall goal was to investigate the importance of the open volume defects onto the magnetic phase transition. No evidence of variation in the vacancy concentration in matching the magnetic phase transition temperature range (400–600 °C) has been found, whereas higher temperatures showed an increase in the vacancy concentration.

Phase Transitions for Quantum XY-Model on the Cayley Tree of Order Three in Quantum Markov Chain Scheme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mukhamedov, Farrukh; Saburov, Mansoor

2010-06-01

In the present paper we study forward Quantum Markov Chains (QMC) defined on a Cayley tree. Using the tree structure of graphs, we give a construction of quantum Markov chains on a Cayley tree. By means of such constructions we prove the existence of a phase transition for the XY-model on a Cayley tree of order three in QMC scheme. By the phase transition we mean the existence of two distinct QMC for the given family of interaction operators {K }. (author)

Second order phase transition in two dimensional sine-Gordon field theory - lattice model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Babu Joseph, K.; Kuriakose, V.C.

1978-01-01

Two dimensional sine-Gordon (SG) field theory on a lattice is studied using the single-site basis variational method of Drell and others. The nature of the phase transition associated with the spontaneous symmetry breakdown in a SG field system is clarified to be of second order. A generalisation is offered for a SG-type field theory in two dimensions with a potential of the form [cossup(n)((square root of lambda)/m)phi-1].(author)

Dynamics of a quantum phase transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zurek, W.H.

2005-01-01

We present two approaches to the non-equilibrium dynamics of a quench-induced phase transition in quantum Ising model. First approach retraces steps of the standard calculation to thermodynamic second order phase transitions in the quantum setting. The second calculation is purely quantum, based on the Landau-Zener formula for transition probabilities in processes that involve avoided level crossings. We show that the two approaches yield compatible results for the scaling of the defect density with the quench rate. We exhibit similarities between them, and comment on the insights they give into dynamics of quantum phase transitions. (author)

Liquid-liquid phase transition in Stillinger-Weber silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beaucage, Philippe; Mousseau, Normand

2005-01-01

It was recently demonstrated that Stillinger-Weber silicon undergoes a liquid-liquid first-order phase transition deep into the supercooled region (Sastry and Angell 2003 Nat. Mater. 2 739). Here we study the effects of perturbations on this phase transition. We show that the order of the liquid-liquid transition changes with negative pressure. We also find that the liquid-liquid transition disappears when the three-body term of the potential is strengthened by as little as 5%. This implies that the details of the potential could affect strongly the nature and even the existence of the liquid-liquid phase

Gravitational waves from the first order electroweak phase transition in the Z3 symmetric singlet scalar model*

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matsui Toshinori

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Among various scenarios of baryon asymmetry of the Universe, electroweak baryogenesis is directly connected with physics of the Higgs sector. We discuss spectra of gravitational waves which are originated by the strongly first order phase transition at the electroweak symmetry breaking, which is required for a successful scenario of electroweak baryogenesis. In the Z3 symmetric singlet scalar model, the significant gravitational waves are caused by the multi-step phase transition. We show that the model can be tested by measuring the characteristic spectra of the gravitational waves at future interferometers such as LISA and DECIGO.

Observation of the Photon-Blockade Breakdown Phase Transition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. M. Fink

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Nonequilibrium phase transitions exist in damped-driven open quantum systems when the continuous tuning of an external parameter leads to a transition between two robust steady states. In second-order transitions this change is abrupt at a critical point, whereas in first-order transitions the two phases can coexist in a critical hysteresis domain. Here, we report the observation of a first-order dissipative quantum phase transition in a driven circuit quantum electrodynamics system. It takes place when the photon blockade of the driven cavity-atom system is broken by increasing the drive power. The observed experimental signature is a bimodal phase space distribution with varying weights controlled by the drive strength. Our measurements show an improved stabilization of the classical attractors up to the millisecond range when the size of the quantum system is increased from one to three artificial atoms. The formation of such robust pointer states could be used for new quantum measurement schemes or to investigate multiphoton phases of finite-size, nonlinear, open quantum systems.

Phase transitions and critical behaviour for charged black holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carlip, S; Vaidya, S

2003-01-01

We investigate the thermodynamics of a four-dimensional charged black hole in a finite cavity in asymptotically flat and asymptotically de Sitter spaces. In each case, we find a Hawking-Page-like phase transition between a black hole and a thermal gas very much like the known transition in asymptotically anti-de Sitter space. For a 'supercooled' black hole - a thermodynamically unstable black hole below the critical temperature for the Hawking-Page phase transition - the phase diagram has a line of first-order phase transitions that terminates in a second-order point. For the asymptotically flat case, we calculate the critical exponents at the second-order phase transition and find that they exactly match the known results for a charged black hole in anti-de Sitter space. We find strong evidence for similar phase transitions for the de Sitter black hole as well. Thus many of the thermodynamic features of charged anti-de Sitter black holes do not really depend on asymptotically anti-de Sitter boundary conditions; the thermodynamics of charged black holes is surprisingly universal

Anharmonic phonons and second-order phase-transitions by the stochastic self-consistent harmonic approximation

Science.gov (United States)

Mauri, Francesco

Anharmonic effects can generally be treated within perturbation theory. Such an approach breaks down when the harmonic solution is dynamically unstable or when the anharmonic corrections of the phonon energies are larger than the harmonic frequencies themselves. This situation occurs near lattice-related second-order phase-transitions such as charge-density-wave (CDW) or ferroelectric instabilities or in H-containing materials, where the large zero-point motion of the protons results in a violation of the harmonic approximation. Interestingly, even in these cases, phonons can be observed, measured, and used to model transport properties. In order to treat such cases, we developed a stochastic implementation of the self-consistent harmonic approximation valid to treat anharmonicity in the nonperturbative regime and to obtain, from first-principles, the structural, thermodynamic and vibrational properties of strongly anharmonic systems. I will present applications to the ferroelectric transitions in SnTe, to the CWD transitions in NbS2 and NbSe2 (in bulk and monolayer) and to the hydrogen-bond symmetrization transition in the superconducting hydrogen sulfide system, that exhibits the highest Tc reported for any superconductor so far. In all cases we are able to predict the transition temperature (pressure) and the evolution of phonons with temperature (pressure). This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant agreement No. 696656 GrapheneCore1.

The Physics of Structural Phase Transitions

CERN Document Server

Fujimoto, Minoru

2005-01-01

Phase transitions in which crystalline solids undergo structural changes present an interesting problem in the interplay between the crystal structure and the ordering process that is typically nonlinear. Intended for readers with prior knowledge of basic condensed-matter physics, this book emphasizes the physics behind spontaneous structural changes in crystals. Starting with the relevant thermodynamic principles, the text discusses the nature of order variables in collective motion in structural phase transitions, where a singularity in such a collective mode is responsible for lattice instability as revealed by soft phonons. In this book, critical anomalies at second-order structural transitions are first analyzed with the condensate model. Discussions on the nonlinear ordering mechanism are followed with the soliton theory, thereby interpreting the role of long-range order. Relevant details for nonlinear mathematics are therefore given for minimum necessity. The text also discusses experimental methods fo...

Second-order phase transition in PbO and SnO at high pressure: Implications for the litharge-massicot phase transformation

Science.gov (United States)

Adams, David M.; Christy, Andrew G.; Haines, Julian; Clark, Simon M.

1992-11-01

We have studied the structural behavior of PbO at high pressure by powder neturon diffraction in a McWhan cell, and by energy-dispersive powder x-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy in a diamond anvil cell. A phase (γ-PbO) occurs at room temperature between ~0.7 and ~2.5 GPa pressure, between the stability fields of litharge (phase is related to litharge by a reversible second-order transition. We infer that this is associated with the collapse of the eu acoustic mode. Unit-cell data at 1.6 GPa are Pm21n, a=4.027(3) Å, b=3.950(3) Å, c=4.767(4) Å, and Z=2. The pressure evolution of the spontaneous strain follows a simple Landau model. There are four distinct solid-state transformation paths between litharge and massicot that maintain the known topotactic relationship between the phases, maintain the translational symmetry common to both, and make use of continuous transitions between group-subgroup related structural intermediates. Both the γ phase and the modulated low-temperature phase of PbO are closely related to one step on one of these paths. Although there is evidence to suggest that the intermediate states do have a transient existence, several paths appear to be utilized. A transition to a γ-like phase also occurs in SnO, at 2.5 GPa, although there is no evidence of a massicotlike polymorph of this compound. The orthorhombic phase is stable to at least 7.5 GPa.

Sound speed during the QCD phase transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagasawa, Michiyasu; Yokoyama, Jun'ichi

1998-01-01

The Jeans scale is estimated during the coexistence epoch of quark-gluon and hadron phases in the first-order QCD phase transition. It is shown that, contrary to previous claims, reduction of the sound speed is so little that the phase transition does not affect evolution of cosmological density fluctuations appreciably. (author)

First-order dynamical phase transition in models of glasses: an approach based on ensembles of histories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garrahan, Juan P; Jack, Robert L; Lecomte, Vivien; Duijvendijk, Kristina van; Wijland, Frederic van; Pitard, Estelle

2009-01-01

We investigate the dynamics of kinetically constrained models of glass formers by analysing the statistics of trajectories of the dynamics, or histories, using large deviation function methods. We show that, in general, these models exhibit a first-order dynamical transition between active and inactive dynamical phases. We argue that the dynamical heterogeneities displayed by these systems are a manifestation of dynamical first-order phase coexistence. In particular, we calculate dynamical large deviation functions, both analytically and numerically, for the Fredrickson-Andersen model, the East model, and constrained lattice gas models. We also show how large deviation functions can be obtained from a Landau-like theory for dynamical fluctuations. We discuss possibilities for similar dynamical phase-coexistence behaviour in other systems with heterogeneous dynamics

Effect of hyperons on nuclear phase transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Das, P.; Mallik, S.; Chaudhuri, G.

2016-01-01

Phase transition of nuclear system in heavy ion-collisions at intermediate energy has been studied well for many years and it has also been extended to strange nuclear matter. Recently, using the Canonical Thermodynamical Model (CTM), detailed work on multiplicity distribution of fragments produced from fragmentation of hypernuclear system shows the existence of phase transition or phase coexistence in strange system with Λ-hyperons. In present work we want to continue the investigation on phase transition with respect to some other thermodynamic observables like free energy, specific heat etc. in order to be confirmed about the nature of the transition

"Big Bang" as a result result of the curvature-driven first-order phase transition in the early cold Universe

Science.gov (United States)

Pashitskii, E. A.; Pentegov, V. I.

We suggest that the "Big Bang" may be a result of the first-order phase transition driven by changing scalar curvature of the 4D space-time in the expanding cold Universe, filled with nonlinear scalar field φ and neutral matter with equation of state p = vɛ (where p and ɛ are pressure and energy density of matter). We consider a Lagrangian for scalar field in curved space-time with nonlinearity φ, which along with the quadratic term -ΣR|φ|2 (where Σ is interaction constant and R is scalar curvature) contains a term ΣR(φ +φ+) linear in φ. Due to this term the condition for the extrema of the potential energy of the scalar field is given by a cubic equation. Provided v > 1/3 the scalar curvature R = [κ(3v-1)ɛ - 4Γ (where κ and Γ are Einstein's gravitational and cosmological constants) decreases along with decreasing " in the process of the Universe's expansion, and at some critical value Rc < 0 a first-order phase transition occurs, driven by an "external field" parameter proportional to R. Given certain conditions the critical radius of the early Universe at the point of the first-order phase transition may reach arbitrary large values, so this scenario of unrestricted "inflation" of the Universe may be called "hyperinflation". Beyond the point of phase transition the system is rolling down into the potential minimum releasing the potential energy of scalar field with subsequent powerful heating of the Universe playing the role of "Big Bang".

Magnetic quasi-long-range ordering in nematic systems due to competition between higher-order couplings

Science.gov (United States)

Žukovič, Milan; Kalagov, Georgii

2018-05-01

Critical properties of the two-dimensional X Y model involving solely nematic-like terms of the second and third orders are investigated by spin-wave analysis and Monte Carlo simulation. It is found that, even though neither of the nematic-like terms alone can induce magnetic ordering, their coexistence and competition leads to an extended phase of the magnetic quasi-long-range-order phase, wedged between the two nematic-like phases induced by the respective couplings. Thus, except for the multicritical point, at which all the phases meet, for any finite value of the coupling parameters ratio there are two phase transition: one from the paramagnetic phase to one of the two nematic-like phases followed by another one at lower temperatures to the magnetic phase. The finite-size scaling analysis indicates that the phase transitions between the magnetic and nematic-like phases belong to the Ising and three-state Potts universality classes. Inside the competition-induced algebraic magnetic phase, the spin-pair correlation function is found to decay even much more slowly than in the standard X Y model with purely magnetic interactions. Such a magnetic phase is characterized by an extremely low vortex-antivortex pair density attaining a minimum close to the point at which the two couplings are of about equal strength.

Singlet Higgs phenomenology and the electroweak phase transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Profumo, Stefano; Ramsey-Musolf, Michael J.; Shaughnessy, Gabe

2007-01-01

We study the phenomenology of gauge singlet extensions of the Standard Model scalar sector and their implications for the electroweak phase transition. We determine the conditions on the scalar potential parameters that lead to a strong first order phase transition as needed to produce the observed baryon asymmetry of the universe. We analyze the constraints on the potential parameters derived from Higgs boson searches at LEP and electroweak precision observables. For models that satisfy these constraints and that produce a strong first order phase transition, we discuss the prospective signatures in future Higgs studies at the Large Hadron Collider and a Linear Collider. We argue that such studies will provide powerful probes of phase transition dynamics in models with an extended scalar sector

Electroweak phase transition in two Higgs doublet models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cline, J.M.; Lemieux, P.

1997-01-01

We reexamine the strength of the first-order phase transition in the electroweak theory supplemented by an extra Higgs doublet. The finite-temperature effective potential V eff is computed to one-loop order, including the summation of ring diagrams, to study the ratio φ c /T c of the Higgs field VEV to the critical temperature. We make a number of improvements over previous treatments, including a consistent treatment of Goldstone bosons in V eff , an accurate analytic approximation to V eff valid for any mass-to-temperature ratios, and use of the experimentally measured top quark mass. For two-Higgs-doublet models, we identify a significant region of parameter space where φ c /T c is large enough for electroweak baryogenesis, and we argue that this identification should persist even at higher orders in perturbation theory. In the case of the minimal supersymmetric standard model, our results indicate that the extra Higgs bosons have little effect on the strength of the phase transition. copyright 1997 The American Physical Society

Higher order Stark effect and transition probabilities on hyperfine structure components of hydrogen like atoms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pal' chikov, V.G. [National Research Institute for Physical-Technical and Radiotechnical Measurements - VNIIFTRI (Russian Federation)], E-mail: vitpal@mail.ru

2000-08-15

A quantum-electrodynamical (QED) perturbation theory is developed for hydrogen and hydrogen-like atomic systems with interaction between bound electrons and radiative field being treated as the perturbation. The dependence of the perturbed energy of levels on hyperfine structure (hfs) effects and on the higher-order Stark effect is investigated. Numerical results have been obtained for the transition probability between the hfs components of hydrogen-like bismuth.

What's new with the electroweak phase transition?

CERN Document Server

Laine, M.

1999-01-01

We review the status of non-perturbative lattice studies of the electroweak phase transition. In the Standard Model, the complete phase diagram has been reliably determined, and the conclusion is that there is no phase transition at all for the experimentally allowed Higgs masses. In the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM), in contrast, there can be a strong first order transition allowing for baryogenesis. Finally, we point out possibilities for future simulations, such as the problem of CP-violation at the MSSM electroweak phase boundary.

Gravitational waves from first order phase transitions as a probe of an early matter domination era and its inverse problem

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barenboim, Gabriela, E-mail: Gabriela.Barenboim@uv.es; Park, Wan-Il, E-mail: Wanil.Park@uv.es

2016-08-10

We investigate the gravitational wave background from a first order phase transition in a matter-dominated universe, and show that it has a unique feature from which important information about the properties of the phase transition and thermal history of the universe can be easily extracted. Also, we discuss the inverse problem of such a gravitational wave background in view of the degeneracy among macroscopic parameters governing the signal.

Ashkin-Teller criticality and weak first-order behavior of the phase transition to a fourfold degenerate state in two-dimensional frustrated Ising antiferromagnets

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, R. M.; Zhuo, W. Z.; Chen, J.; Qin, M. H.; Zeng, M.; Lu, X. B.; Gao, X. S.; Liu, J.-M.

2017-07-01

We study the thermal phase transition of the fourfold degenerate phases (the plaquette and single-stripe states) in the two-dimensional frustrated Ising model on the Shastry-Sutherland lattice using Monte Carlo simulations. The critical Ashkin-Teller-like behavior is identified both in the plaquette phase region and the single-stripe phase region. The four-state Potts critical end points differentiating the continuous transitions from the first-order ones are estimated based on finite-size-scaling analyses. Furthermore, a similar behavior of the transition to the fourfold single-stripe phase is also observed in the anisotropic triangular Ising model. Thus, this work clearly demonstrates that the transitions to the fourfold degenerate states of two-dimensional Ising antiferromagnets exhibit similar transition behavior.

Ordering transitions induced by Coulomb interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rovere, M.; Senatore, G.; Tosi, M.P.

1988-11-01

We briefly review recent progress in treating phase transitions to ordered states driven by Coulomb interactions. Wigner crystallization of the one-component plasma, in the degenerate Fermi limit and in the classical limit, is the foremost example and developments in its theory are discussed in some detail. Attention is also given to quasi-twodimensional realizations of the plasma model in the laboratory. The usefulness of these ideas in relation to freezing and ordering transitions is illustrated with reference to alkali metals, elemental and polar semiconductors, and various types of ionic systems (molten salts, colloidal suspensions and astrophysical plasmas). (author). 70 refs, 5 figs

Canonical Entropy and Phase Transition of Rotating Black Hole

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ren, Zhao; Yue-Qin, Wu; Li-Chun, Zhang

2008-01-01

Recently, the Hawking radiation of a black hole has been studied using the tunnel effect method. The radiation spectrum of a black hole is derived. By discussing the correction to spectrum of the rotating black hole, we obtain the canonical entropy. The derived canonical entropy is equal to the sum of Bekenstein–Hawking entropy and correction term. The correction term near the critical point is different from the one near others. This difference plays an important role in studying the phase transition of the black hole. The black hole thermal capacity diverges at the critical point. However, the canonical entropy is not a complex number at this point. Thus we think that the phase transition created by this critical point is the second order phase transition. The discussed black hole is a five-dimensional Kerr-AdS black hole. We provide a basis for discussing thermodynamic properties of a higher-dimensional rotating black hole. (general)

Structural and Mechanical Hysteresis at the Order-Order Transition of Block Copolymer Micellar Crystals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Theresa A. LaFollette

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Concentrated solutions of a water-soluble block copolymer (PEO20-(PPO70-(PEO20 show a thermoreversible transition from a liquid to a gel. Over a range of concentration there also exists an order-order transition (OOT between cubically-packed spherical micelles and hexagonally-packed cylindrical micelles. This OOT displays a hysteresis between the heating and cooling transitions that is observed at both the macroscale through rheology and nanoscale through small angle neutron scattering (SANS. The hysteresis is caused by the persistence of the cubically-packed spherical micelle phase into the hexagonally-packed cylindrical micelle phase likely due to the hindered realignment of the spherical micelles into cylindrical micelles and then packing of the cylindrical micelles into a hexagonally-packed cylindrical micelle phase. This type of hysteresis must be fully characterized, and possibly avoided, for these block copolymer systems to be used as templates in nanocomposites.

Oxygen order-disorder phase transition in PrBaCo2O5.48 at high temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Streule, S.; Podlesnyak, A.; Pomjakushina, E.; Conder, K.; Sheptyakov, D.; Medarde, M.; Mesot, J.

2006-01-01

We have investigated the PrBaCo 2 O 5.48 compound by means of neutron powder diffraction at temperatures 300K OD =776K, which we associate with an oxygen order-disorder transition: the well-known room temperature ordered crystal structure, in which slabs of CoO 6 octahedra and CoO 5 pyramids interleave (Pmmm symmetry) gets lost at temperatures T>T OD , resulting in a statistical distribution of octahedra and pyramids in the sample. The new phase can be described by the tetragonal P4/mmm space group. The transition is caused by displacement of apical oxygen ions and is an indication that ionic conductivity, which has been observed in 3D cobaltites, may also exist in layered cobaltites

A new approach to establish both stable and metastable phase equilibria for fcc ordered/disordered phase transition: application to the Al–Ni and Ni–Si systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuan Xiaoming; Zhang Lijun; Du Yong; Xiong Wei; Tang Ying; Wang Aijun; Liu Shuhong

2012-01-01

Both two-sublattice (2SL) and four-sublattice (4SL) models in the framework of the compound energy formalism can be used to describe the fcc ordered/disordered transitions. When transferring the parameters of 2SL disregarding the metastable ordered states into those of 4SL, inconsistence in either stable or metastable phase diagrams could appear, as detected in both Al–Ni and Ni–Si systems. To avoid such a kind of drawback, this behavior was analyzed and investigated in the Ni–Si and Al–Ni systems with the aid of first–principle calculations. Furthermore, a new approach considering both the stable and metastable fcc ordered phase equilibria deduced from the first–principles calculations was proposed to perform a reliable thermodynamic modeling for the fcc ordered/disordered transition. The Ni–Si system was then thermodynamically assessed using the presently proposed approach. The good agreement between the calculation and experiments demonstrates the reliability of the proposed approach. It is expected that the approach is valid for other systems showing complex ordered/disordered transitions. - Highlights: ► We discuss the drawbacks of order/disorder modeling in the Ni–Si and Al–Ni systems. ► We perform ab initio calculation of thermodynamic properties in the Ni–Si system. ► A CALPHAD–type approach is proposed to model the fcc ordered/disordered transition. ► The Ni–Si system was thermodynamically assessed using the new approach.

Relaxation processes in a lower disorder order transition diblock copolymer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanz, Alejandro; Ezquerra, Tiberio A.; Nogales, Aurora; Hernández, Rebeca; Sprung, Michael

2015-01-01

The dynamics of lower disorder-order temperature diblock copolymer leading to phase separation has been observed by X ray photon correlation spectroscopy. Two different modes have been characterized. A non-diffusive mode appears at temperatures below the disorder to order transition, which can be associated to compositional fluctuations, that becomes slower as the interaction parameter increases, in a similar way to the one observed for diblock copolymers exhibiting phase separation upon cooling. At temperatures above the disorder to order transition T ODT , the dynamics becomes diffusive, indicating that after phase separation in Lower Disorder-Order Transition (LDOT) diblock copolymers, the diffusion of chain segments across the interface is the governing dynamics. As the segregation is stronger, the diffusive process becomes slower. Both observed modes have been predicted by the theory describing upper order-disorder transition systems, assuming incompressibility. However, the present results indicate that the existence of these two modes is more universal as they are present also in compressible diblock copolymers exhibiting a lower disorder-order transition. No such a theory describing the dynamics in LDOT block copolymers is available, and these experimental results may offer some hints to understanding the dynamics in these systems. The dynamics has also been studied in the ordered state, and for the present system, the non-diffusive mode disappears and only a diffusive mode is observed. This mode is related to the transport of segment in the interphase, due to the weak segregation on this system

Quantum phase transitions of strongly correlated electron systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Imada, Masatoshi

1998-01-01

Interacting electrons in solids undergo various quantum phase transitions driven by quantum fluctuations. The quantum transitions take place at zero temperature by changing a parameter to control quantum fluctuations rather than thermal fluctuations. In contrast to classical phase transitions driven by thermal fluctuations, the quantum transitions have many different features where quantum dynamics introduces a source of intrinsic fluctuations tightly connected with spatial correlations and they have been a subject of recent intensive studies as we see below. Interacting electron systems cannot be fully understood without deep analyses of the quantum phase transitions themselves, because they are widely seen and play essential roles in many phenomena. Typical and important examples of the quantum phase transitions include metal-insulator transitions, (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) metal-superconductor transitions, superconductor-insulator transitions, magnetic transitions to antiferromagnetic or ferromagnetic phases in metals as well as in Mott insulators, and charge ordering transitions. Here, we focus on three different types of transitions

First-order character of the displacive structural transition in BaWO4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tan Da-Yong; Xiao Wan-Sheng; Zhou Wei; Chen Ming; Xiong Xiao-Lin; Song Mao-Shuang

2012-01-01

Nearly all displacive transitions have been considered to be continuous or second order, and the rigid unit mode (RUM) provides a natural candidate for the soft mode. However, in-situ X-ray diffraction and Raman measurements show clearly the first-order evidences for the scheelite-to-fergusonite displacive transition in BaWO 4 : a 1.6% volume collapse, coexistence of phases, and hysteresis on release of pressure. Such first-order signatures are found to be the same as the soft modes in BaWO 4 , which indicates the scheelite-to-fergusonite displacive phase transition hides a deeper physical mechanism. By the refinement of atomic displacement parameters, we further show that the first-order character of this phase transition stems from a coupling of large compression of soft BaO 8 polyhedrons to the small displacive distortion of rigid WO 4 tetrahedrons. Such a coupling will lead to a deeper physical insight in the phase transition of the common scheelite-structured compounds. (condensed matter: structural, mechanical, and thermal properties)

Phase transitions induced by the Aharonov-Bohm field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krive, I.V.; Naftulin, S.A.

1990-07-01

The influence of the Aharonov-Bohm flux (φ) on the order parameters of the 3-dimensional Gross-Neveu model and CP N -model in R 2 xS 1 space is considered. It is shown that the variation of flux causes the order parameter oscillations and for the small enough length of circular coordinate l c these oscillations attended with re-ordering phase transitions (i.e. the repeating transitions between the ordered and the disordered phases of the models in question). (author). 22 refs, 3 figs

Phase transitions in K-doped MoO{sub 2}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alves, L. M. S., E-mail: leandro-fisico@hotmail.com; Lima, B. S. de; Santos, C. A. M. dos [Departamento de Engenharia de Materiais, Escola de Engenharia de Lorena-USP, Lorena, São Paulo 12602-810 (Brazil); Rebello, A.; Masunaga, S. H.; Neumeier, J. J. [Department of Physics, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173840, Bozeman, Montana 59717-3840 (United States); Leão, J. B. [NIST Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Dr. MS 6102, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-6102 (United States)

2014-05-28

K{sub 0.05}MoO{sub 2} has been studied by x-ray and neutron diffractometry, electrical resistivity, magnetization, heat capacity, and thermal expansion measurements. The compound displays two phase transitions, a first-order phase transition near room temperature and a second-order transition near 54 K. Below the transition at 54 K, a weak magnetic anomaly is observed and the electrical resistivity is well described by a power-law temperature dependence with exponent near 0.5. The phase transitions in the K-doped MoO{sub 2} compound have been discussed for the first time using neutron diffraction, high resolution thermal expansion, and heat capacity measurements as a function of temperature.

Eigenstate Phase Transitions

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Bo

Phase transitions are one of the most exciting physical phenomena ever discovered. The understanding of phase transitions has long been of interest. Recently eigenstate phase transitions have been discovered and studied; they are drastically different from traditional thermal phase transitions. In eigenstate phase transitions, a sharp change is exhibited in properties of the many-body eigenstates of the Hamiltonian of a quantum system, but not the thermal equilibrium properties of the same system. In this thesis, we study two different types of eigenstate phase transitions. The first is the eigenstate phase transition within the ferromagnetic phase of an infinite-range spin model. By studying the interplay of the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis and Ising symmetry breaking, we find two eigenstate phase transitions within the ferromagnetic phase: In the lowest-temperature phase the magnetization can macroscopically oscillate by quantum tunneling between up and down. The relaxation of the magnetization is always overdamped in the remainder of the ferromagnetic phase, which is further divided into phases where the system thermally activates itself over the barrier between the up and down states, and where it quantum tunnels. The second is the many-body localization phase transition. The eigenstates on one side of the transition obey the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis; the eigenstates on the other side are many-body localized, and thus thermal equilibrium need not be achieved for an initial state even after evolving for an arbitrary long time. We study this many-body localization phase transition in the strong disorder renormalization group framework. After setting up a set of coarse-graining rules for a general one dimensional chain, we get a simple "toy model'' and obtain an almost purely analytical solution to the infinite-randomness critical fixed point renormalization group equation. We also get an estimate of the correlation length critical exponent nu

Phase transition signals of finite systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duflot-Flandrois, Veronique

2001-01-01

Phase transitions are universal properties of interacting matter. They are well described if the considered system is infinite, by using standard thermodynamics. But in the case of small systems like atomic nuclei, this formalism cannot be applied anymore. Our aim is to propose a statistical mechanics approach in order to define the thermodynamical features of small open systems subject to non-saturating forces. We concentrate in particular on the definition and characterization for such systems of phase transitions belonging to the liquid gas universality class. Theoretical and experimental observables are defined to signal the occurrence and the order of this transition without any ambiguity. One of the most relevant and experimentally accessible observables consists in the study of kinetic energy fluctuations for a fixed value of the total deposited energy. In a first order phase transition such fluctuations become anomaly high and at the same time the size distribution appears to behave critically. All our results are obtained within numerical simulations of the lattice gas model with a nearest neighbors attractive interaction. Finally we check the influence of non-saturating forces, developing the specific example of the Coulomb interaction in the nucleus. Future improvements and perspectives at this work consist in the analysis of specific effects occurring in nuclei: isospin and quantum mechanics. (author) [fr

High-pressure phase transitions of deep earth materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirose, Kei

2009-01-01

Recent developments in synchrotron XRD measurements combined with laser-heated diamond-anvil cell (LHDAC) techniques have enabled us to search for a novel phase transition at extremely high pressure and temperature. A phase transition from MgSiO 3 perovskite to post-perovskite was discovered through a drastic change in XRD patterns above 120 GPa and 2500 K, corresponding to the condition in the lowermost mantle (Murakami et al., 2004; Oganov and Ono, 2004). A pressure-induced phase transformation from ABO 3 -type perovskite to any denser structures was not known at that time. This new MgSiO 3 polymorph called post-perovskite has an orthorhombic symmetry (space group: Cmcm) with a sheet-stacking structure. The Mg site in post-perovskite is smaller than that in perovskite, which results in a volume reduction by 1.0-1.5% from perovskite structure. The electrical conductivity of post-perovskite is higher by three orders of magnitude than that of perovskite at similar pressure range (Ohta et al., 2008). This is likely due to a shorter Fe-Fe distance in post-perovskite structure, while conduction mechanism is yet to be further examined. Phase transition boundary between perovskite and post-perovskite has been determined in a wide temperature range up to 4400 K at 170 GPa (Tateno et al., 2008). Phase relations of Fe alloys have been also studied at core pressures (>135 GPa), although the generation of high temperature is more difficult at higher pressures. A new high-pressure B2 phase of B2 phase of FeS was recently discovered above 180 GPa (Sata et al., 2008). The Fe-Ni alloys have a wide pressure-temperature stability field of fcc phase at the core pressure range, depending on the Ni content (Kuwayama et al., 2008). (author)

Scaling theory and the classification of phase transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hilfer, R.

1992-01-01

In this paper, the recent classification theory for phase transitions and its relation with the foundations of statistical physics is reviewed. First it is outlined how Ehrenfests classification scheme can be generalized into a general thermodynamic classification theory for phase transitions. The classification theory implies scaling and multiscaling thereby eliminating the need to postulate the scaling hypothesis as a fourth law of thermodynamics. The new classification has also led to the discovery and distinction of nonequilibrium transitions within equilibrium statistical physics. Nonequilibrium phase transitions are distinguished from equilibrium transitions by orders less than unity and by the fact the equilibrium thermodynamics and statistical mechanics become inapplicable at the critical point. The latter fact requires a change in the Gibbs assumption underlying the canonical and grandcanonical ensembles in order to recover the thermodynamic description in the critical limit

The role of medium range order on phase transitions in chain silicates upon compression

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Serghiou, G; Chopelas, A; Boehler, R

2004-01-01

Raman spectroscopic measurements of the tetrahedrally coordinated crystal MnSiO 3 (rhodonite) in an argon pressure medium show that it becomes amorphous above 33 GPa. This observation consolidates our findings and explanation for the global structural trends exhibited by the extended chain silicate family AA'BO 3 (AA': Mg, Ca, Mn, Fe; B: Si) upon compression. In particular, crystals of this family are made of two types of building blocks coined P and C. Those crystals comprised solely of P blocks transform to dense higher coordinated crystalline phases; those comprised of P and C blocks, such as MnSiO 3 rhodonite, become amorphous; whereas those comprised solely of C blocks show both crystalline and amorphous regions upon compression. The reason that this medium range order length scale (building block scale) classification is correlated with the type of transitions taking place upon compression is due to the instability of C blocks and C-P interfaces with respect to P blocks and P-P interfaces at high pressures

Phase-plane analysis to an “anisotropic” higher-order traffic flow model

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Chun-Xiu

2018-04-01

The qualitative theory of differential equations is applied to investigate the traveling wave solution to an “anisotropic” higher-order viscous traffic flow model under the Lagrange coordinate system. The types and stabilities of the equilibrium points are discussed in the phase plane. Through the numerical simulation, the overall distribution structures of trajectories are drawn to analyze the relation between the phase diagram and the selected conservative solution variables, and the influences of the parameters on the system are studied. The limit-circle, limit circle-spiral point, saddle-spiral point and saddle-nodal point solutions are obtained. These steady-state solutions provide good explanation for the phenomena of the oscillatory and homogeneous congestions in real-world traffic.

Theory of structural phase transition in MgTi{sub 2}O{sub 4}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Talanov, V. M., E-mail: valtalanov@mail.ru [South Russian State Polytechnical University (Russian Federation); Shirokov, V. B. [Russian Academy of Sciences, South Science Centre (Russian Federation); Ivanov, V. V. [South Russian State Polytechnical University (Russian Federation); Talanov, M. V. [South Federal University (Russian Federation)

2015-01-15

A theory of phase transition in MgTi{sub 2}O{sub 4} is proposed based on a study of the order-parameter symmetry, thermodynamics, and mechanisms of formation of the atomic and orbital structure of the low-symmetry MgTi{sub 2}O{sub 4} phase. The critical order parameter (which induces a phase transition) is determined. It is shown that the calculated MgTi{sub 2}O{sub 4} tetragonal structure is a result of displacements of magnesium, titanium, and oxygen atoms; ordering of oxygen atoms; and the participation of d{sub xy}, d{sub xz}, and d{sub yz} orbitals. The contribution of noncritical representations to ion displacements is proven to be insignificant. The existence of various metal clusters in the tetragonal phase has been established by calculation in correspondence with experimental data. It is shown (within the Landau theory of phase transitions) that phase states can be changed as a result of both first- and second-order phase transitions: the high-symmetry phase borders two low-symmetry phases by second-order transition lines, while the border between low-symmetry phases is a first-order transition line.

Magnetic Phase Transitions of CeSb. I

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fischer, Pernille Hertz; Lebech, Bente; Meier, G.

1978-01-01

The magnetic ordering of the anomalous antiferromagnet CeSb, which has a NaCl crystal structure, was determined in zero applied magnetic field by means of neutron diffraction investigations of single crystals and powder. Below the Neel temperature TN of (16.1+or-0.1)K, there exist six partially...... a first-order phase transition at TN. At approximately TN/2 there is a first-order phase transition to a FCC type IA low-temperature configuration. The unusual magnetic properties of CeSb, which result from anisotropic exchange and crystalline electric field effects, resemble those of certain actinide Na...

Theoretical study of orbital ordering induced structural phase transition in iron pnictides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jena, Sushree Sangita, E-mail: sushree@iopb.res.in; Rout, G. C., E-mail: gcr@iopb.res.in [Physics Enclave, Plot No-664/4825, Lane-4A, Shree Vihar, Bhubaneswar-24, Odisha (India); Panda, S. K., E-mail: skp@iopb.res.in

2016-05-06

We attribute the structural phase transition (SPT) in the parent compounds of the iron pnictides to orbital ordering. Due to anisotropy of the d{sub xz} and d{sub yz} orbitals in the xy plane, orbital ordering makes the orthorhombic structure more favorable and thus inducing the SPT. We consider a one band model Hamiltonian consisting of first and second-nearest-neighbor hopping of the electrons. We introduce Jahn-Tellar (JT) distortion in the system arising due to the orbital ordering present in this system. We calculate the electron Green’s function by using Zuvareb’s Green’s function technique and hence calculate an expression for the temperature dependent lattice strain which is computed numerically and self-consistently. The temperature dependent electron specific heat is calculated by minimizing the free energy of the system. The lattice strain is studied by varying the JT coupling and elastic constant of the system. The structural anomaly is studied through the electron occupation number and the specific heat by varying the physical parameters like JT coupling, lattice constant, chemical potential and hopping integrals of the system.

First-Order 0-π Quantum Phase Transition in the Kondo Regime of a Superconducting Carbon-Nanotube Quantum Dot

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Romain Maurand

2012-02-01

Full Text Available We study a carbon-nanotube quantum dot embedded in a superconducting-quantum-interference-device loop in order to investigate the competition of strong electron correlations with a proximity effect. Depending on whether local pairing or local magnetism prevails, a superconducting quantum dot will exhibit a positive or a negative supercurrent, referred to as a 0 or π Josephson junction, respectively. In the regime of a strong Coulomb blockade, the 0-to-π transition is typically controlled by a change in the discrete charge state of the dot, from even to odd. In contrast, at a larger tunneling amplitude, the Kondo effect develops for an odd-charge (magnetic dot in the normal state, and quenches magnetism. In this situation, we find that a first-order 0-to-π quantum phase transition can be triggered at a fixed valence when superconductivity is brought in, due to the competition of the superconducting gap and the Kondo temperature. The superconducting-quantum-interference-device geometry together with the tunability of our device allows the exploration of the associated phase diagram predicted by recent theories. We also report on the observation of anharmonic behavior of the current-phase relation in the transition regime, which we associate with the two accessible superconducting states. Our results finally demonstrate that the spin-singlet nature of the Kondo state helps to enhance the stability of the 0 phase far from the mixed-valence regime in odd-charge superconducting quantum dots.

'Devil's Staircase'-Type Phase Transition in NaV2O5 under High Pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohwada, K.; Fujii, Y.; Takesue, N.; Isobe, M.; Ueda, Y.; Nakao, H.; Wakabayashi, Y.; Murakami, Y.; Ito, K.; Amemiya, Y.

2001-01-01

The 'devil's staircase'-type phase transition in the quarter-filled spin-ladder compound NaV 2 O 5 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

Phenomena at the QCD phase transition in nonequilibrium chiral fluid dynamics (NχFD)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nahrgang, Marlene [Duke University, Department of Physics, Durham, NC (United States); Herold, Christoph [Suranaree University of Technology, School of Physics, Nakhon Ratchasima (Thailand)

2016-08-15

Heavy-ion collisions performed in the beam energy range accessible by the NICA collider facility are expected to produce systems of extreme net-baryon densities and can thus reach yet unexplored regions of the QCD phase diagram. Here, one expects the phase transition between the plasma of deconfined quarks and gluons and the hadronic matter to be of first order. A discovery of the first-order phase transition would as well prove the existence of the QCD critical point, a landmark in the phase diagram. In order to understand possible signals of the first-order phase transition in heavy-ion collision experiments it is very important to develop dynamical models of the phase transition. Here, we discuss the opportunities of studying dynamical effects at the QCD first-order phase transition within our model of nonequilibrium chiral fluid dynamics. (orig.)

Quasiparticles and order parameter near quantum phase transition in heavy fermion metals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shaginyan, V.R. [Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Gatchina 188300 (Russian Federation) and CTSPS, Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, GA 30314 (United States)]. E-mail: vrshag@thd.pnpi.spb.ru; Msezane, A.Z. [CTSPS, Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, GA 30314 (United States); Amusia, M.Ya. [Racah Institute of Physics, Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904 (Israel); A.F. Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg 194021 (Russian Federation)

2005-05-02

It is shown that the Landau paradigm based upon both the quasiparticle concept and the notion of the order parameter is valid and can be used to explain the anomalous behavior of the heavy fermion metals near quantum critical points. The understanding of this phenomenon has been problematic largely because of the absence of theoretical guidance. Exploiting this paradigm and the fermion condensation quantum phase transition, we investigate the anomalous behavior of the heavy electron liquid near its critical point at different temperatures and applied magnetic fields. We show that this anomalous behavior is universal and can be used to capture the essential aspects of recent experiments on heavy-fermion metals at low temperatures.

Elastic modulus, thermal expansion, and specific heat at a phase transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Testardi, L.R.

1975-01-01

The interrelation of the elastic modulus, thermal-expansion coefficient, and specific heat of a transformed phase relative to the untransformed phase is calculated assuming a particular but useful form of the thermodynamic potential. For second-order phase transitions where this potential applies, measurements of modulus, expansion, and specific heat can yield the general (longitudinal as well as shear) first- and second-order stress (or strain) dependences of the transition temperature and of the order parameter at absolute zero. An exemplary application to one type of phase transition is given

Behavior of quasinormal modes and high dimension RN-AdS black hole phase transition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chabab, M.; Iraoui, S.; Masmar, K. [Cadi Ayyad University, High Energy Physics and Astrophysics Laboratory, Faculty of Science Semlalia, Marrakesh (Morocco); El Moumni, H. [Cadi Ayyad University, High Energy Physics and Astrophysics Laboratory, Faculty of Science Semlalia, Marrakesh (Morocco); Ibn Zohr University, LMTI, Physics Department, Faculty of Sciences, Agadir (Morocco)

2016-12-15

In this work we use the quasinormal frequencies of a massless scalar perturbation to probe the phase transition of the high dimension charged AdS black hole. The signature of the critical behavior of this black hole solution is detected in the isobaric as well as in isothermal process. This paper is a natural generalization of Liu et al. (JHEP 1409:179, 2014) to higher dimensional spacetime. More precisely our study shows a clear signal for any dimension d in the isobaric process. As to the isothermal case, we find that this signature can be affected by other parameters like the pressure and the horizon radius. We conclude that the quasinormal modes can be an efficient tool to investigate the first-order phase transition, but fail to disclose the signature of the second-order phase transition. (orig.)

Van der Waals phase transition in the framework of holography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeng, Xiao-Xiong; Li, Li-Fang

2017-01-01

Phase structure of the quintessence Reissner–Nordström–AdS black hole is probed by the nonlocal observables such as holographic entanglement entropy and two point correlation function. Our result shows that, as the case of the thermal entropy, both the observables exhibit the Van der Waals-like phase transition. To reinforce this conclusion, we further check the equal area law for the first order phase transition and critical exponent of the heat capacity for the second order phase transition. We also discuss the effect of the state parameter on the phase structure of the nonlocal observables.

Van der Waals phase transition in the framework of holography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zeng, Xiao-Xiong, E-mail: xxzeng@itp.ac.cn [State School of Material Science and Engineering, Chongqing Jiaotong University, Chongqing 400074 (China); Institute of Theoretical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China); Li, Li-Fang, E-mail: lilf@itp.ac.cn [State Key Laboratory of Space Weather, National Space Science Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China)

2017-01-10

Phase structure of the quintessence Reissner–Nordström–AdS black hole is probed by the nonlocal observables such as holographic entanglement entropy and two point correlation function. Our result shows that, as the case of the thermal entropy, both the observables exhibit the Van der Waals-like phase transition. To reinforce this conclusion, we further check the equal area law for the first order phase transition and critical exponent of the heat capacity for the second order phase transition. We also discuss the effect of the state parameter on the phase structure of the nonlocal observables.

Van der Waals phase transition in the framework of holography

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiao-Xiong Zeng

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Phase structure of the quintessence Reissner–Nordström–AdS black hole is probed by the nonlocal observables such as holographic entanglement entropy and two point correlation function. Our result shows that, as the case of the thermal entropy, both the observables exhibit the Van der Waals-like phase transition. To reinforce this conclusion, we further check the equal area law for the first order phase transition and critical exponent of the heat capacity for the second order phase transition. We also discuss the effect of the state parameter on the phase structure of the nonlocal observables.

Phase transitions

CERN Document Server

Sole, Ricard V; Solé, Ricard V; Solé, Ricard V; Sol, Ricard V; Solé, Ricard V

2011-01-01

Phase transitions--changes between different states of organization in a complex system--have long helped to explain physics concepts, such as why water freezes into a solid or boils to become a gas. How might phase transitions shed light on important problems in biological and ecological complex systems? Exploring the origins and implications of sudden changes in nature and society, Phase Transitions examines different dynamical behaviors in a broad range of complex systems. Using a compelling set of examples, from gene networks and ant colonies to human language and the degradation of diverse ecosystems, the book illustrates the power of simple models to reveal how phase transitions occur. Introductory chapters provide the critical concepts and the simplest mathematical techniques required to study phase transitions. In a series of example-driven chapters, Ricard Solé shows how such concepts and techniques can be applied to the analysis and prediction of complex system behavior, including the origins of ...

Bubble nucleation and growth in very strong cosmological phase transitions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mégevand, Ariel, E-mail: megevand@mdp.edu.ar; Ramírez, Santiago

2017-06-15

Strongly first-order phase transitions, i.e., those with a large order parameter, are characterized by a considerable supercooling and high velocities of phase transition fronts. A very strong phase transition may have important cosmological consequences due to the departures from equilibrium caused in the plasma. In general, there is a limit to the strength, since the metastability of the old phase may prevent the transition to complete. Near this limit, the bubble nucleation rate achieves a maximum and thus departs from the widely assumed behavior in which it grows exponentially with time. We study the dynamics of this kind of phase transitions. We show that in some cases a gaussian approximation for the nucleation rate is more suitable, and in such a case we solve analytically the evolution of the phase transition. We compare the gaussian and exponential approximations with realistic cases and we determine their ranges of validity. We also discuss the implications for cosmic remnants such as gravitational waves.

Phase transitions in (NH4)2MoO2F4 crystal

Science.gov (United States)

Krylov, Alexander; Laptash, Natalia; Vtyurin, Alexander; Krylova, Svetlana

2016-11-01

The mechanisms of temperature and high pressure phase transitions have been studied by Raman spectroscopy. Room temperature (295 K) experiments under high hydrostatic pressure up to 3.6 GPa for (NH4)2 MoO2 F4 have been carried out. Experimental data indicates a phase transition into a new high-pressure phase for (NH4)2 MoO2 F4 at 1.2 GPa. This phase transition is related to the ordering anion octahedron groups [MoO2 F4]2- and is not associated with ammonium group. Raman spectra of small non-oriented crystals ranging from 10 to 350 K have been observed. The experiment shows anion groups [MoO2 F4]2- and ammonium in high temperature phase are disordered. The phase transition at T1 = 269.8 K is of the first-order, close to the tricritical point. The first temperature phase transition is related to the ordering anion octahedron groups [MoO2 F4]2-. Second phase transitions T2 = 180 K are associated with the ordering of ammonium. The data presented within this study demonstrate that 2D correlation analysis combined with traditional Raman spectroscopy are powerful tool to study phase transitions in the crystals.

The high temperature phase transition for the φ4 theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tetradis, N.

1994-01-01

The use of the perturbative temperature dependent effective potential for the study of second order or weakly first order phase transitions is problematic, due to the appearance of infrared divergences. These divergences can be controlled through the method of the effective average action which employs renormalization group ideas. I review work done with C. Wetterich on the study of the high temperature phase transition for the N-component Φ 4 theory. A detailed quantitative picture of the second order phase transition is presented, including the critical exponents for the behaviour in the vicinity of the critical temperature. (orig.)

Multiple phase transitions in the generalized Curie-Weiss model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eisele, T.; Ellis, R.S.

1988-01-01

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

Isostructural magnetic phase transition and magnetocaloric effect in Ising antiferromagnet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lavanov, G.Yu; Kalita, V.M.; Loktev, V.M.

2014-01-01

It is shown that the external magnetic field induced isostructural I st order magnetic phase transition between antiferromagnetic phases with different antiferromagnetic vector values is associated with entropy. It is found, that depending on temperature the entropy jump and the related heat release change their sign at this transition point. In the low-temperature region of metamagnetic I st order phase tensition the entropy jump is positive, and in the triple point region this jump for isostructural magnetic transition is negative

Thermodynamic phase transition of a black hole in rainbow gravity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhong-Wen Feng

2017-09-01

Full Text Available In this letter, using the rainbow functions that were proposed by Magueijo and Smolin, we investigate the thermodynamics and the phase transition of rainbow Schwarzschild black hole. First, we calculate the rainbow gravity corrected Hawking temperature. From this modification, we then derive the local temperature, free energy, and other thermodynamic quantities in an isothermal cavity. Finally, we analyze the critical behavior, thermodynamic stability, and phase transition of the rainbow Schwarzschild black hole. The results show that the rainbow gravity can stop the Hawking radiation in the final stages of black holes' evolution and lead to the remnants of black holes. Furthermore, one can observe that the rainbow Schwarzschild black hole has one first-order phase transition, two second-order phase transitions, and three Hawking–Page-type phase transitions in the framework of rainbow gravity theory.

A grain boundary phase transition in Si–Au

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma, Shuailei; Meshinchi Asl, Kaveh; Tansarawiput, Chookiat; Cantwell, Patrick R.; Qi, Minghao; Harmer, Martin P.; Luo, Jian

2012-01-01

A grain boundary transition from a bilayer to an intrinsic (nominally clean) boundary is observed in Si–Au. An atomically abrupt transition between the two complexions (grain boundary stabilized phases) implies the occurrence of a first-order interfacial phase transition associated with a discontinuity in the interfacial excess. This observation supports a grain-boundary complexion theory with broad applications. This transition is atypical in that the monolayer complexion is absent. A model is proposed to explain the bilayer stabilization and the origin of this complexion transition.

Phase separation and magnetic ordering studied by high resolution neutron diffraction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caspi, E.N.; Melamud, M.; Pinto, H.; Shaked, H.; Chmaissem, O.; Jorgensen, J.D.; Short, S.

1999-01-01

Complete text of publication follows. In a previous work on the (U 1-x Nd x )Co 2 Ge 2 system, two magnetic transitions were observed in the temperature dependencies of the magnetic susceptibility and in the intensity of the magnetic reflections in neutron diffraction [1]. Because of insufficient resolution, it was not clear whether this is due to clustering or phase separation. In both cases the U-rich regions are expected to order magnetically at higher temperature than the U-poor ones, resulting in two magnetic transitions. In order to resolve this question a temperature dependent TOF neutron diffraction of the x = 0.25 compound has been performed on the SEPD at Argonne's IPNS [2]. The temperature dependent diffractograms were refined by the Rietveld method. It was found that the compound separates into two phases: x = 0.4 (55 wt%) and x = 0.1 (45 wt%). The temperature dependence of the magnetic moment was obtained for each phase, with the transition temperatures: T N (x=0.4) = 130 K, and T N (x=0.1) = 165 K. (author) [1] E. Caspi et al., Phys. Rev. B, 57 (198) 449.; [2] J.D. Jorgensen et al., J. Appl. Cryst. 22 (1989) 321

[Altitude-belt zonality of wood vegetation within mountainous regions of the Sayan Mountains: a model of ecological second-order phase transitions ].

Science.gov (United States)

Sukhovol'skiĭ, V G; Ovchinnikova, T M; Baboĭ, S D

2014-01-01

As a description of altitude-belt zonality of wood vegetation, a model of ecological second-order transitions is proposed. Objects of the study have been chosen to be forest cenoses of the northern slope of Kulumyss Ridge (the Sayan Mauntains), while the results are comprised by the altitude profiles of wood vegetation. An ecological phase transition can be considered as the transition of cenoses at different altitudes from the state of presence of certain tree species within the studied territory to the state of their absence. By analogy with the physical model of second-order, phase transitions the order parameter is introduced (i.e., the area portion occupied by a single tree species at the certain altitude) as well as the control variable (i.e., the altitude of the wood vegetation belt). As the formal relation between them, an analog of the Landau's equation for phase transitions in physical systems is obtained. It is shown that the model is in a good accordance with the empirical data. Thus, the model can be used for estimation of upper and lower boundaries of altitude belts for individual tree species (like birch, aspen, Siberian fir, Siberian pine) as well as the breadth of their ecological niches with regard to altitude. The model includes also the parameters that describe numerically the interactions between different species of wood vegetation. The approach versatility allows to simplify description and modeling of wood vegetation altitude zonality, and enables assessment of vegetation cenoses response to climatic changes.

Phenomenology of cosmic phase transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaempfer, B.; Lukacs, B.; Paal, G.

1989-11-01

The evolution of the cosmic matter from Planck temperature to the atomic combination temperature is considered from a phenomenological point of view. Particular emphasis is devoted to the sequence of cosmic phase transitions. The inflationary era at the temperature of the order of the grand unification energy scale and the quantum chromodynamic confinement transition are dealt with in detail. (author) 131 refs.; 26 figs

Order parameter free enhanced sampling of the vapor-liquid transition using the generalized replica exchange method.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Qing; Kim, Jaegil; Straub, John E

2013-03-14

The generalized Replica Exchange Method (gREM) is extended into the isobaric-isothermal ensemble, and applied to simulate a vapor-liquid phase transition in Lennard-Jones fluids. Merging an optimally designed generalized ensemble sampling with replica exchange, gREM is particularly well suited for the effective simulation of first-order phase transitions characterized by "backbending" in the statistical temperature. While the metastable and unstable states in the vicinity of the first-order phase transition are masked by the enthalpy gap in temperature replica exchange method simulations, they are transformed into stable states through the parameterized effective sampling weights in gREM simulations, and join vapor and liquid phases with a succession of unimodal enthalpy distributions. The enhanced sampling across metastable and unstable states is achieved without the need to identify a "good" order parameter for biased sampling. We performed gREM simulations at various pressures below and near the critical pressure to examine the change in behavior of the vapor-liquid phase transition at different pressures. We observed a crossover from the first-order phase transition at low pressure, characterized by the backbending in the statistical temperature and the "kink" in the Gibbs free energy, to a continuous second-order phase transition near the critical pressure. The controlling mechanisms of nucleation and continuous phase transition are evident and the coexistence properties and phase diagram are found in agreement with literature results.

Cosmological phase transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolb, E.W.

1993-10-01

If modern ideas about the role of spontaneous symmetry breaking in fundamental physics are correct, then the Universe should have undergone a series of phase transitions early in its history. The study of cosmological phase transitions has become an important aspect of early-Universe cosmology. In this lecture I review some very recent work on three aspects of phase transitions: the electroweak transition, texture, and axions

Nonequilibrium Phase Transitions in Supercooled Water

Science.gov (United States)

Limmer, David; Chandler, David

2012-02-01

We present results of a simulation study of water driven out of equilibrium. Using transition path sampling, we can probe stationary path distributions parameterize by order parameters that are extensive in space and time. We find that by coupling external fields to these parameters, we can drive water through a first order dynamical phase transition into amorphous ice. By varying the initial equilibrium distributions we can probe pathways for the creation of amorphous ices of low and high densities.

Higher Order Lagrange Finite Elements In M3D

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, J.; Strauss, H.R.; Jardin, S.C.; Park, W.; Sugiyama, L.E.; Fu, G.; Breslau, J.

2004-01-01

The M3D code has been using linear finite elements to represent multilevel MHD on 2-D poloidal planes. Triangular higher order elements, up to third order, are constructed here in order to provide M3D the capability to solve highly anisotropic transport problems. It is found that higher order elements are essential to resolve the thin transition layer characteristic of the anisotropic transport equation, particularly when the strong anisotropic direction is not aligned with one of the Cartesian coordinates. The transition layer is measured by the profile width, which is zero for infinite anisotropy. It is shown that only higher order schemes have the ability to make this layer converge towards zero when the anisotropy gets stronger and stronger. Two cases are considered. One has the strong transport direction partially aligned with one of the element edges, the other doesn't have any alignment. Both cases have the strong transport direction misaligned with the grid line by some angles

Predicting the Disorder–Order Transition of Solvent-Free Nanoparticle–Organic Hybrid Materials

KAUST Repository

Yu, Hsiu-Yu

2013-07-02

The transition from a disordered to a face-centered-cubic phase in solvent-free oligomer-tethered nanoparticles is predicted using a density-functional theory for model hard spheres with tethered bead-spring oligomers. The transition occurs without a difference of volume fraction for the two phases, and the phase boundary is influenced by the loss of oligomer configurational entropy relative to an ideal random system in one phase compared with the other. When the particles are localized in the ordered phase, the cooperation of the oligomers in filling the space is hindered. Therefore, shorter oligomers feel a stronger entropic penalty in the ordered solid and favor the disordered phase. Strikingly, we found that the solvent-free system has a later transition than hard spheres for all investigated ratios of oligomer radius of gyration to particle radius. © 2013 American Chemical Society.

Symmetry analysis in the investigation of the order-disorder phase transition and possible structural deformations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gurin, O V; Syromyatnikov, V N [AN SSSR, Sverdlovsk. Inst. Fiziki Metallov; Sikora, W [Joint Inst. for Nuclear Research, Dubna (USSR)

1984-08-01

Order-disorder phase transitions for the Me-X structures in Nb-H(D) hydrides with hydrogen (deuterium) ordering over the 12d tetrahedral interstices of the GAMMAsub(c)sup(v) lattice and for the Me-X and Me-X/sub 2/ oxides in the Ta-O system with oxygen ordering over octahedral 6b interstices are presented. The concentration of interstitial atoms is assumed to be constant. All possible models of ordered structures with a GAMMAsub(o)sup(b) lattice were determined using symmetry analysis. The possible structural deformations consistent with each variant of the ordering of the interstitial atoms were also considered. The structural deformations include the displacements of the metal atoms and of the centres of the interstices which were deduced using symmetry analysis. The results of the analysis of the final structure symmetry raise the question of understanding the nature of superstructure reflections in neutron diffraction patterns.

First-order phase transitions in CaFe2As2 single crystal: a local probe study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alzamora, M; Munevar, J; Baggio-Saitovitch, E; Bud'ko, S L; Ni Ni; Canfield, P C; Sanchez, D R

2011-01-01

57 Fe Moessbauer spectroscopy has been used to investigate the structural and magnetic phase transitions of CaFe 2 As 2 (T N = 173 K) single crystals. For this compound we found that V ZZ is positive and parallel to the c-axis of the tetragonal structure. For CaFe 2 As 2 a magnetic hyperfine field B hf was observed at the 57 Fe nucleus below T N ∼ 173 K. Analysis of the temperature dependence of B hf data using the Bean-Rodbell model shows that the Fe spins undergo a first-order magnetic transition at ∼ 173 K. A collinear antiferromagnetic structure is established below this temperature with the Fe spin lying in the (a, b) plane. Below T N the paramagnetic fraction of Fe decreases down to 150 K and for lower temperatures all the Fe spins are magnetically ordered.

Theory of relaxation phenomena in a spin-3/2 Ising system near the second-order phase transition temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keskin, Mustafa; Canko, Osman

2005-01-01

The relaxation behavior of the spin-3/2 Ising model Hamiltonian with bilinear and biquadratic interactions near the second-order phase transition temperature or critical temperature is studied by means of the Onsager's theory of irreversible thermodynamics or the Onsager reciprocity theorem (ORT). First, we give the equilibrium case briefly within the molecular-field approximation in order to study the relaxation behavior by using the ORT. Then, the ORT is applied to the model and the kinetic equations are obtained. By solving these equations, three relaxation times are calculated and examined for temperatures near the second-order phase transition temperature. It is found that one of the relaxation times goes to infinity near the critical temperature on either side, the second relaxation time makes a cusp at the critical temperature and third one behaves very differently in which it terminates at the critical temperature while approaching it, then showing a 'flatness' property and then decreases. We also study the influences of the Onsager rate coefficients on the relaxation times. The behavior of these relaxation times is discussed and compared with the spin-1/2 and spin-1 Ising systems

Stick–slip boundary friction mode as a second-order phase transition with an inhomogeneous distribution of elastic stress in the contact area

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iakov A. Lyashenko

2017-09-01

Full Text Available This article presents an investigation of the dynamical contact between two atomically flat surfaces separated by an ultrathin lubricant film. Using a thermodynamic approach we describe the second-order phase transition between two structural states of the lubricant which leads to the stick–slip mode of boundary friction. An analytical description and numerical simulation with radial distributions of the order parameter, stress and strain were performed to investigate the spatial inhomogeneity. It is shown that in the case when the driving device is connected to the upper part of the friction block through an elastic spring, the frequency of the melting/solidification phase transitions increases with time.

On the phase transition nature in compressible Ising models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ota, A.T.

1985-01-01

The phase transition phenomenon is analysed in a compressible ferromagnetic Ising model at null field, through the mean-field approximation. The model studied is d-dimensional under the magnetic point of view and one-dimensional under the elastic point of view. This is achieved keeping the compressive interactions among the ions and rejecting annealing forces completely. The exchange parameter J is linear and the elastic potential quadratic in relation to the microscopic shifts of the lattice. In the one-dimensional case, this model shows no phase transition. In the two-dimensional case, the role of the S i spin of the i-the ion is crucial: a) for spin 1/2 the transitions are of second order; b) for spin 1, desides the second order transitions there is a three-critical point and a first-order transitions line. (L.C.) [pt

The phase transition of the first order in the critical region of the gas-liquid system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I.R. Yukhnovskii

2014-12-01

Full Text Available This is a summarising investigation of the events of the phase transition of the first order that occur in the critical region below the liquid-gas critical point. The grand partition function has been completely integrated in the phase-space of the collective variables. The basic density measure is the quartic one. It has the form of the exponent function with the first, second, third and fourth degree of the collective variables. The problem has been reduced to the Ising model in an external field, the role of which is played by the generalised chemical potential μ*. The line μ*(η =0, where η is the density, is the line of the phase transition. We consider the isothermal compression of the gas till the point where the phase transition on the line μ*(η =0 is reached. When the path of the pressing reaches the line μ* =0 in the gas medium, a droplet of liquid springs up. The work for its formation is obtained, the surface-tension energy is calculated. On the line μ* =0 we have a two-phase system: the gas and the liquid (the droplet one. The equality of the gas and of the liquid chemical potentials is proved. The process of pressing is going on. But the pressure inside the system has stopped, two fixed densities have arisen: one for the gas-phase ηG=ηc(1-d/2 and the other for the liquid-phase ηL=ηc(1+d/2 (symmetrically to the rectlinear diameter, where ηc=0.13044 is the critical density. Starting from that moment the external pressure works as a latent work of pressure. Its value is obtained. As a result, the gas-phase disappears and the whole system turns into liquid. The jump of the density is equal to ηc d, where d=(D/2G1/2 ~ τν/2. D and G are coefficients of the Hamiltonian in the last cell connected with the renormalisation-group symmetry. The equation of state is written.

Explosive transitions to synchronization in networks of phase oscillators.

Science.gov (United States)

Leyva, I; Navas, A; Sendiña-Nadal, I; Almendral, J A; Buldú, J M; Zanin, M; Papo, D; Boccaletti, S

2013-01-01

The emergence of dynamical abrupt transitions in the macroscopic state of a system is currently a subject of the utmost interest. The occurrence of a first-order phase transition to synchronization of an ensemble of networked phase oscillators was reported, so far, for very particular network architectures. Here, we show how a sharp, discontinuous transition can occur, instead, as a generic feature of networks of phase oscillators. Precisely, we set conditions for the transition from unsynchronized to synchronized states to be first-order, and demonstrate how these conditions can be attained in a very wide spectrum of situations. We then show how the occurrence of such transitions is always accompanied by the spontaneous setting of frequency-degree correlation features. Third, we show that the conditions for abrupt transitions can be even softened in several cases. Finally, we discuss, as a possible application, the use of this phenomenon to express magnetic-like states of synchronization.

Dissipation-driven quantum phase transitions in collective spin systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morrison, S; Parkins, A S

2008-01-01

We consider two different collective spin systems subjected to strong dissipation-on the same scale as interaction strengths and external fields-and show that either continuous or discontinuous dissipative quantum phase transitions can occur as the dissipation strength is varied. First, we consider a well-known model of cooperative resonance fluorescence that can exhibit a second-order quantum phase transition, and analyse the entanglement properties near the critical point. Next, we examine a dissipative version of the Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick interacting collective spin model, where we find that either first- or second-order quantum phase transitions can occur, depending only on the ratio of the interaction and external field parameters. We give detailed results and interpretation for the steady-state entanglement in the vicinity of the critical point, where it reaches a maximum. For the first-order transition we find that the semiclassical steady states exhibit a region of bistability. (fast track communication)

Quantum trajectory phase transitions in the micromaser.

Science.gov (United States)

Garrahan, Juan P; Armour, Andrew D; Lesanovsky, Igor

2011-08-01

We study the dynamics of the single-atom maser, or micromaser, by means of the recently introduced method of thermodynamics of quantum jump trajectories. We find that the dynamics of the micromaser displays multiple space-time phase transitions, i.e., phase transitions in ensembles of quantum jump trajectories. This rich dynamical phase structure becomes apparent when trajectories are classified by dynamical observables that quantify dynamical activity, such as the number of atoms that have changed state while traversing the cavity. The space-time transitions can be either first order or continuous, and are controlled not just by standard parameters of the micromaser but also by nonequilibrium "counting" fields. We discuss how the dynamical phase behavior relates to the better known stationary-state properties of the micromaser.

How to quantify the transition phase during golf swing performance: Torsional load affects low back complaints during the transition phase.

Science.gov (United States)

Sim, Taeyong; Choi, Ahnryul; Lee, Soeun; Mun, Joung Hwan

2017-10-01

The transition phase of a golf swing is considered to be a decisive instant required for a powerful swing. However, at the same time, the low back torsional loads during this phase can have a considerable effect on golf-related low back pain (LBP). Previous efforts to quantify the transition phase were hampered by problems with accuracy due to methodological limitations. In this study, vector-coding technique (VCT) method was proposed as a comprehensive methodology to quantify the precise transition phase and examine low back torsional load. Towards this end, transition phases were assessed using three different methods (VCT, lead hand speed and X-factor stretch) and compared; then, low back torsional load during the transition phase was examined. As a result, the importance of accurate transition phase quantification has been documented. The largest torsional loads were observed in healthy professional golfers (10.23 ± 1.69 N · kg -1 ), followed by professional golfers with a history of LBP (7.93 ± 1.79 N · kg -1 ), healthy amateur golfers (1.79 ± 1.05 N · kg -1 ) and amateur golfers with a history of LBP (0.99 ± 0.87 N · kg -1 ), which order was equal to that of the transition phase magnitudes of each group. These results indicate the relationship between the transition phase and LBP history and the dependency of the torsional load magnitude on the transition phase.

The gravitational waves from the first-order phase transition with a dimension-six operator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cai, Rong-Gen; Wang, Shao-Jiang [CAS Key Laboratory of Theoretical Physics, Institute of Theoretical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.55 Zhong Guan Cun East Road, Beijing 100190 (China); Sasaki, Misao, E-mail: cairg@itp.ac.cn, E-mail: misao@yukawa.kyoto-u.ac.jp, E-mail: schwang@itp.ac.cn [Center for Gravitational Physics, Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502 (Japan)

2017-08-01

We investigate in details the gravitational wave (GW) from the first-order phase transition (PT) in the extended standard model of particle physics with a dimension-six operator, which is capable of exhibiting the recently discovered slow first-order PT in addition to the usually studied fast first-order PT. To simplify the discussion, it is sufficient to work with an example of a toy model with the sextic term, and we propose an unified description for both slow and fast first-order PTs. We next study the full one-loop effective potential of the model with fixed/running renormalization-group (RG) scales. Compared to the prediction of GW energy density spectrum from the fixed RG scale, we find that the presence of running RG scale could amplify the peak amplitude by amount of one order of magnitude while shift the peak frequency to the lower frequency regime, and the promising regime of detection within the sensitivity ranges of various space-based GW detectors shrinks down to a lower cut-off value of the sextic term rather than the previous expectation.

Order-disorder phase transitions in the two-dimensional semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenide alloys Mo1−xWxX2 (X = S, Se, and Te)

KAUST Repository

Gan, Liyong

2014-10-21

A combination of density functional theory, an empirical model, and Monte Carlo simulations is used to shed light on the evolution of the atomic distribution in the two-dimensional semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenide alloys Mo1−xWxX2 (X = S, Se, and Te) as a function of the W concentration and temperature. Both random and ordered phases are discovered and the origin of the phase transitions is clarified. While the empirical model predicts at x = 1/3 and 2/3 ordered alloys, Monte Carlo simulations suggest that they only exist at low temperature due to a small energetic preference of Mo-X-W over Mo-X-Mo and W-X-W interactions, explaining the experimental observation of random alloy Mo1−xWxS2. Negative formation energies point to a high miscibility. Tunability of the band edges and band gaps by alteration of the W concentration gives rise to a broad range of applications.

Order-disorder phase transitions in the two-dimensional semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenide alloys Mo1−xWxX2 (X = S, Se, and Te)

KAUST Repository

Gan, Liyong; Zhang, Qingyun; Zhao, Yu-Jun; Cheng, Yingchun; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo

2014-01-01

A combination of density functional theory, an empirical model, and Monte Carlo simulations is used to shed light on the evolution of the atomic distribution in the two-dimensional semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenide alloys Mo1−xWxX2 (X = S, Se, and Te) as a function of the W concentration and temperature. Both random and ordered phases are discovered and the origin of the phase transitions is clarified. While the empirical model predicts at x = 1/3 and 2/3 ordered alloys, Monte Carlo simulations suggest that they only exist at low temperature due to a small energetic preference of Mo-X-W over Mo-X-Mo and W-X-W interactions, explaining the experimental observation of random alloy Mo1−xWxS2. Negative formation energies point to a high miscibility. Tunability of the band edges and band gaps by alteration of the W concentration gives rise to a broad range of applications.

Phase transitions and baryogenesis from decays

Science.gov (United States)

Shuve, Brian; Tamarit, Carlos

2017-10-01

We study scenarios in which the baryon asymmetry is generated from the decay of a particle whose mass originates from the spontaneous breakdown of a symmetry. This is realized in many models, including low-scale leptogenesis and theories with classical scale invariance. Symmetry breaking in the early universe proceeds through a phase transition that gives the parent particle a time-dependent mass, which provides an additional departure from thermal equilibrium that could modify the efficiency of baryogenesis from out-of-equilibrium decays. We characterize the effects of various types of phase transitions and show that an enhancement in the baryon asymmetry from decays is possible if the phase transition is of the second order, although such models are typically fine-tuned. We also stress the role of new annihilation modes that deplete the parent particle abundance in models realizing such a phase transition, reducing the efficacy of baryogenesis. A proper treatment of baryogenesis in such models therefore requires the inclusion of the effects we study in this paper.

No Hawking-Page phase transition in three dimensions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Myung, Y.S.

2005-01-01

We investigate whether or not the Hawking-Page phase transition is possible to occur in three dimensions. Starting with the simplest class of Lanczos-Lovelock action, thermodynamic behavior of all AdS-type black holes without charge falls into two classes: Schwarzschild-AdS black holes in even dimensions and Chern-Simons black holes in odd dimensions. The former class can provide the Hawking-Page transition between Schwarzschild-AdS black holes and thermal AdS space. On the other hand, the latter class is exceptional and thus the Hawking-Page transition is hard to occur. In three dimensions, a second-order phase transition might occur between the non-rotating BTZ black hole and the massless BTZ black hole (thermal AdS space), instead of the first-order Hawking-Page transition between the non-rotating BTZ black hole and thermal AdS space

Pressure-induced decoupling of the order-disorder and displacive contributions to the phase transition in diguanidinium tetrachlorostannate

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Szafranski, M.; Ståhl, Kenny

2000-01-01

The crystals of diguanidinium tetrachlorostannate [C(NH2)(3)](2)(+).SnCl4-2, were studied by single-crystal x-ray diffraction at various temperatures and by calorimetric and dielectric measurements at ambient and high hydrostatic pressures. At room temperature the crystal structure is orthorhombic......) cations. At ambient pressure the crystals undergo two first-order phase transitions at 354.8 and 395.4 K. The former, between two orthorhombic phases (Pbca --> Cmca), is characterized by antiphase displacement of the double sheets along the b direction of the low-temperature unit cell which is coupled...... to dynamical disordering of G(2) and transformation of its hydrogen bonding scheme. At elevated pressures the coupling between the displacive and order-disorder contributions is modified and its breaking near a triple point at 180 MPa and 270 K results in a pressure-induced phase observed between Pbca and Cmca...

On the existence of a first order phase transition at small vacuum angel θin the CP3 model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olejnik, S.; Slovenska Akademia Vied, Bratislava; Schierholz, G.; Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH

1993-12-01

We examine the phase structure of the CP 3 model as a function of θ in the weak coupling regime. It is shown that the model has a first order phase transition at small θ. We pay special attention to the extrapolation of the data to the infinite volume. It is found that the critical value of θ decreases towards zero as β is taken to infinity. (orig.)

Holographic research on phase transitions for a five dimensional AdS black hole with conformally coupled scalar hair

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Hui-Ling, E-mail: LHL51759@126.com [School of Physical Electronics, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054 (China); College of Physics Science and Technology, Shenyang Normal University, Shenyang 110034 (China); Yang, Shu-Zheng, E-mail: szyangcwnu@126.com [Institute of Theoretical Physics, China West Normal University, Nanchong 637002 (China); Zu, Xiao-Tao, E-mail: xtzu@uestc.edu.cn [School of Physical Electronics, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054 (China)

2017-01-10

In the framework of holography, we survey the phase structure for a higher dimensional hairy black hole including the effects of the scalar field hair. It is worth emphasizing that, not only black hole entropy, but also entanglement entropy and two point correlation function exhibit the Van der Waals-like phase transition in a fixed scalar charge ensemble. Furthermore, by making use of numerical computation, we show that the Maxwell's equal area law is valid for the first order phase transition. In addition, we also discuss how the hair parameter affects the black hole's phase transition.

Gravitational waves generated from the cosmological QCD phase transition within AdS/QCD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Ahmadvand

2017-09-01

Full Text Available We study the gravitational waves produced by the collision of the bubbles as a probe for the cosmological first order QCD phase transition, considering heavy static quarks. Using AdS/QCD and the correspondence between a first order Hawking–Page phase transition and confinement–deconfinement phase transition, we find the spectrum and the strain amplitude of the gravitational wave within the hard and soft wall models. We postulate the duration of the phase transition corresponds to the evaporation time of the black hole in the five dimensional dual gravity space, and thereby obtain a bound on the string length in the space and correspondingly on the duration of the QCD phase transition. We also show that IPTA and SKA detectors will be able to detect these gravitational waves, which can be an evidence for the first order deconfinement transition.

Basal plane shift as an order parameter of transitions between antiferromagnetic phases of solid oxygen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gomonay, E.V.; Loktev, V.M.

2005-01-01

A phenomenological model in the spirit of the Landau theory of phase transitions is derived, and the conditions for existence and phase transitions between different magnetocrystal structures of solid oxygen are analyzed for wide ranges of pressure, temperature and external magnetic field

Phase transitions in a system of hard Y-shaped particles on the triangular lattice

Science.gov (United States)

Mandal, Dipanjan; Nath, Trisha; Rajesh, R.

2018-03-01

We study the different phases and the phase transitions in a system of Y-shaped particles, examples of which include immunoglobulin-G and trinaphthylene molecules, on a triangular lattice interacting exclusively through excluded volume interactions. Each particle consists of a central site and three of its six nearest neighbors chosen alternately, such that there are two types of particles which are mirror images of each other. We study the equilibrium properties of the system using grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations that implement an algorithm with cluster moves that is able to equilibrate the system at densities close to full packing. We show that, with increasing density, the system undergoes two entropy-driven phase transitions with two broken-symmetry phases. At low densities, the system is in a disordered phase. As intermediate phases, there is a solidlike sublattice phase in which one type of particle is preferred over the other and the particles preferentially occupy one of four sublattices, thus breaking both particle symmetry as well as translational invariance. At even higher densities, the phase is a columnar phase, where the particle symmetry is restored, and the particles preferentially occupy even or odd rows along one of the three directions. This phase has translational order in only one direction, and breaks rotational invariance. From finite-size scaling, we demonstrate that both the transitions are first order in nature. We also show that the simpler system with only one type of particle undergoes a single discontinuous phase transition from a disordered phase to a solidlike sublattice phase with an increasing density of particles.

Dynamic phase transitions and dynamic phase diagrams of the Ising model on the Shastry-Sutherland lattice

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deviren, Şeyma Akkaya, E-mail: sadeviren@nevsehir.edu.tr [Department of Science Education, Education Faculty, Nevsehir Hacı Bektaş Veli University, 50300 Nevşehir (Turkey); Deviren, Bayram [Department of Physics, Nevsehir Hacı Bektaş Veli University, 50300 Nevsehir (Turkey)

2016-03-15

The dynamic phase transitions and dynamic phase diagrams are studied, within a mean-field approach, in the kinetic Ising model on the Shastry-Sutherland lattice under the presence of a time varying (sinusoidal) magnetic field by using the Glauber-type stochastic dynamics. The time-dependence behavior of order parameters and the behavior of average order parameters in a period, which is also called the dynamic order parameters, as a function of temperature, are investigated. Temperature dependence of the dynamic magnetizations, hysteresis loop areas and correlations are investigated in order to characterize the nature (first- or second-order) of the dynamic phase transitions as well as to obtain the dynamic phase transition temperatures. We present the dynamic phase diagrams in the magnetic field amplitude and temperature plane. The phase diagrams exhibit a dynamic tricritical point and reentrant phenomena. The phase diagrams also contain paramagnetic (P), Néel (N), Collinear (C) phases, two coexistence or mixed regions, (N+C) and (N+P), which strongly depend on interaction parameters. - Highlights: • Dynamic magnetization properties of spin-1/2 Ising model on SSL are investigated. • Dynamic magnetization, hysteresis loop area, and correlation have been calculated. • The dynamic phase diagrams are constructed in (T/|J|, h/|J|) plane. • The phase diagrams exhibit a dynamic tricritical point and reentrant phenomena.

Cosmological phase transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolb, E.W.

1987-01-01

If the universe stated from conditions of high temperature and density, there should have been a series of phase transitions associated with spontaneous symmetry breaking. The cosmological phase transitions could have observable consequences in the present Universe. Some of the consequences including the formation of topological defects and cosmological inflation are reviewed here. One of the most important tools in building particle physics models is the use of spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB). The proposal that there are underlying symmetries of nature that are not manifest in the vacuum is a crucial link in the unification of forces. Of particular interest for cosmology is the expectation that are the high temperatures of the big bang symmetries broken today will be restored, and that there are phase transitions to the broken state. The possibility that topological defects will be produced in the transition is the subject of this section. The possibility that the Universe will undergo inflation in a phase transition will be the subject of the next section. Before discussing the creation of topological defects in the phase transition, some general aspects of high-temperature restoration of symmetry and the development of the phase transition will be reviewed. 29 references, 1 figure, 1 table

The energetics of ordered intermetallic alloys (of the transition metals)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watson, R.E.; Weinert, M.; Davenport, J.W.; Fernando, G.W.; Bennett, L.H.

1992-01-01

The atomically ordered phases in ordered transition metal alloys are discussed. This chapter is divided into: physical parameters controlling phase stability (Hume-Rothery, structural maps, Miedema Hamiltonian), wave functions ampersand band theory, comment on entropy terms, cohesive energies (electron promotion energies, Hund's rule on orbital effects), structural energies/stabilities of elemental solids, total energies and atomic positions, charge transfer (Au alloys, charge tailing), heats of formation of ordered compounds

Superconducting phase transition in STM tips

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eltschka, Matthias; Jaeck, Berthold; Assig, Maximilian; Etzkorn, Markus; Ast, Christian R. [Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Stuttgart (Germany); Kern, Klaus [Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Stuttgart (Germany); Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (Switzerland)

2015-07-01

The superconducting properties of systems with dimensions comparable to the London penetration depth considerably differ from macroscopic systems. We have studied the superconducting phase transition of vanadium STM tips in external magnetic fields. Employing Maki's theory we extract the superconducting parameters such as the gap or the Zeeman splitting from differential conductance spectra. While the Zeeman splitting follows the theoretical description of a system with s=1/2 and g=2, the superconducting gaps as well as the critical fields depend on the specific tip. For a better understanding of the experimental results, we solve a one dimensional Usadel equation modeling the superconducting tip as a cone with the opening angle α in an external magnetic field. We find that only a small region at the apex of the tip is superconducting in high magnetic fields and that the order of the phase transition is directly determined by α. Further, the spectral broadening increases with α indicating an intrinsic broadening mechanism due to the conical shape of the tip. Comparing these calculations to our experimental results reveals the order of the superconducting phase transition of the STM tips.

An exactly solvable model for first- and second-order transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klushin, L I; Skvortsov, A M; Gorbunov, A A

1998-01-01

The possibility of an exact analytical description of first-order and second-order transitions is demonstrated using a specific microscopic model. Predictions using the exactly calculated partition function are compared with those based on the Landau and Yang-Lee approaches. The model employed is an adsorbed polymer chain with an arbitrary number of links and an external force applied to its end, for which the variation of the partition function with the adsorption interaction parameter and the magnitude of the applied force is calculated. In the thermodynamic limit, the system has one isotropic and two anisotropic, ordered phases, each of which is characterized by two order parameters and between which first-order and second-order transitions occur and a bicritical point exists. The Landau free energy is found exactly as a function of each order parameter separately and, near the bicritical point, as a function of both of them simultaneously. An exact analytical formula is found for the distribution of the complex zeros of the partition function in first-order and second-order phase transitions. Hypotheses concerning the way in which the free energy and the positions of the complex zeros scale with the number of particles N in the system are verified. (reviews of topical problems)

Notes on Phase Transition of Nonsingular Black Hole

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma Meng-Sen; Zhao Ren

2015-01-01

On the belief that a black hole is a thermodynamic system, we study the phase transition of nonsingular black holes. If the black hole entropy takes the form of the Bekenstein—Hawking area law, the black hole mass M is no longer the internal energy of the black hole thermodynamic system. Using the thermodynamic quantities, we calculate the heat capacity, thermodynamic curvature and free energy. It is shown that there will be a larger black hole/smaller black hole phase transition for the nonsingular black hole. At the critical point, the second-order phase transition appears. (paper)

Novel phase transitions in B-site doped manganites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Popovic, Z.V.; Cantarero, A.; Thijssen, W.H.A.; Paunovic, N.; Dohcevic-Mitrovic, Z.; Sapina, F.

2005-01-01

We have examined the infrared reflectivity and the electrical resistivity of La 1- x [Sr(Ba)] x Mn 1- z [Cu(Zn)] z O 3 samples in ferromagnetic metallic and insulator regime. Several phase transitions are observed, the most obvious being the transition from a ferromagnetic metallic to a ferromagnetic insulator phase that is related to the formation of short-range orbitally ordered domains. The temperature T 1 of the phase transition is dependent on doping concentration and for optimally doped samples (∼32% of Mn 4+ ions) we have found T 1 ∼0.93 T C

Geometry-induced phase transition in fluids: capillary prewetting.

Science.gov (United States)

Yatsyshin, Petr; Savva, Nikos; Kalliadasis, Serafim

2013-02-01

We report a new first-order phase transition preceding capillary condensation and corresponding to the discontinuous formation of a curved liquid meniscus. Using a mean-field microscopic approach based on the density functional theory we compute the complete phase diagram of a prototypical two-dimensional system exhibiting capillary condensation, namely that of a fluid with long-ranged dispersion intermolecular forces which is spatially confined by a substrate forming a semi-infinite rectangular pore exerting long-ranged dispersion forces on the fluid. In the T-μ plane the phase line of the new transition is tangential to the capillary condensation line at the capillary wetting temperature T(cw). The surface phase behavior of the system maps to planar wetting with the phase line of the new transition, termed capillary prewetting, mapping to the planar prewetting line. If capillary condensation is approached isothermally with T>T(cw), the meniscus forms at the capping wall and unbinds continuously, making capillary condensation a second-order phenomenon. We compute the corresponding critical exponent for the divergence of adsorption.

Quasi-phases and pseudo-transitions in one-dimensional models with nearest neighbor interactions

Science.gov (United States)

de Souza, S. M.; Rojas, Onofre

2018-01-01

There are some particular one-dimensional models, such as the Ising-Heisenberg spin models with a variety of chain structures, which exhibit unexpected behaviors quite similar to the first and second order phase transition, which could be confused naively with an authentic phase transition. Through the analysis of the first derivative of free energy, such as entropy, magnetization, and internal energy, a "sudden" jump that closely resembles a first-order phase transition at finite temperature occurs. However, by analyzing the second derivative of free energy, such as specific heat and magnetic susceptibility at finite temperature, it behaves quite similarly to a second-order phase transition exhibiting an astonishingly sharp and fine peak. The correlation length also confirms the evidence of this pseudo-transition temperature, where a sharp peak occurs at the pseudo-critical temperature. We also present the necessary conditions for the emergence of these quasi-phases and pseudo-transitions.

Sound dispersion in a spin-1 Ising system near the second-order phase transition point

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Erdem, Ryza; Keskin, Mustafa

2003-01-01

Sound dispersion relation is derived for a spin-1 Ising system and its behaviour near the second-order phase transition point or the critical point is analyzed. The method used is a combination of molecular field approximation and Onsager theory of irreversible thermodynamics. If we assume a linear coupling of sound wave with the order parameter fluctuations in the system, we find that the dispersion which is the relative sound velocity change with frequency behaves as ω 0 ε 0 , where ω is the sound frequency and ε the temperature distance from the critical point. In the ordered region, one also observes a frequency-dependent velocity or dispersion minimum which is shifted from the corresponding attenuation maxima. These phenomena are in good agreement with the calculations of sound velocity in other magnetic systems such as magnetic metals, magnetic insulators, and magnetic semiconductors

Phase transitions in dense matter

Science.gov (United States)

Dexheimer, Veronica; Hempel, Matthias; Iosilevskiy, Igor; Schramm, Stefan

2017-11-01

As the density of matter increases, atomic nuclei disintegrate into nucleons and, eventually, the nucleons themselves disintegrate into quarks. The phase transitions (PT's) between these phases can vary from steep first order to smooth crossovers, depending on certain conditions. First-order PT's with more than one globally conserved charge, so-called non-congruent PT's, have characteristic differences compared to congruent PT's. In this conference proceeding we discuss the non-congruence of the quark deconfinement PT at high densities and/or temperatures relevant for heavy-ion collisions, neutron stars, proto-neutron stars, supernova explosions, and compact-star mergers.

Clapeyron equation and phase equilibrium properties in higher dimensional charged topological dilaton AdS black holes with a nonlinear source

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Huai-Fan; Zhao, Hui-Hua; Zhang, Li-Chun; Zhao, Ren [Shanxi Datong University, Institute of Theoretical Physics, Datong (China); Shanxi Datong University, Department of Physics, Datong (China)

2017-05-15

Using Maxwell's equal area law, we discuss the phase transition of higher dimensional charged topological dilaton AdS black hole with a nonlinear source. The coexisting region of the two phases is found and we depict the coexistence region in the P-v diagrams. The two-phase equilibrium curves in the P-T diagrams are plotted, and we take the first order approximation of volume v in the calculation. To better compare with a general thermodynamic system, the Clapeyron equation is derived for a higher dimensional charged topological black hole with a nonlinear source. The latent heat of an isothermal phase transition is investigated. We also study the effect of the parameters of the black hole on the region of two-phase coexistence. The results show that the black hole may go through a small-large phase transition similar to those of usual non-gravity thermodynamic systems. (orig.)

A perturbative RS I cosmological phase transition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bunk, Don [Skidmore College, Department of Physics, Saratoga Springs, NY (United States); Hubisz, Jay [Syracuse University, Department of Physics, Syracuse, NY (United States); Jain, Bithika [Korea Institute for Advanced Study, School of Physics, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2018-01-15

We identify a class of Randall-Sundrum type models with a successful first order cosmological phase transition during which a 5D dual of approximate conformal symmetry is spontaneously broken. Our focus is on soft-wall models that naturally realize a light radion/dilaton and suppressed dynamical contribution to the cosmological constant. We discuss phenomenology of the phase transition after developing a theoretical and numerical analysis of these models both at zero and finite temperature. We demonstrate a model with a TeV-Planck hierarchy and with a successful cosmological phase transition where the UV value of the curvature corresponds, via AdS/CFT, to an N of 20, where 5D gravity is expected to be firmly in the perturbative regime. (orig.)

Signatures of a dissipative phase transition in photon correlation measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Fink, Thomas; Schade, Anne; Höfling, Sven; Schneider, Christian; Imamoglu, Ataç

2018-04-01

Understanding and characterizing phase transitions in driven-dissipative systems constitutes a new frontier for many-body physics1-8. A generic feature of dissipative phase transitions is a vanishing gap in the Liouvillian spectrum9, which leads to long-lived deviations from the steady state as the system is driven towards the transition. Here, we show that photon correlation measurements can be used to characterize the corresponding critical slowing down of non-equilibrium dynamics. We focus on the extensively studied phenomenon of optical bistability in GaAs cavity polaritons10,11, which can be described as a first-order dissipative phase transition12-14. Increasing the excitation strength towards the bistable range results in an increasing photon-bunching signal along with a decay time that is prolonged by more than nine orders of magnitude as compared with that of single polaritons. In the limit of strong polariton interactions leading to pronounced quantum fluctuations, the mean-field bistability threshold is washed out. Nevertheless, the functional form with which the Liouvillian gap closes as the thermodynamic limit is approached provides a signature of the emerging dissipative phase transition. Our results establish photon correlation measurements as an invaluable tool for studying dynamical properties of dissipative phase transitions without requiring phase-sensitive interferometric measurements.

A Solvable Model for Nuclear Shape Phase Transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Levai, G.; Arias, J. M.

2009-01-01

There has been considerable interest recently in phase transitions that occur between some well-defined nuclear shapes, e.g. the spherical vibrator, the axially deformed rotor and the γ-unstable rotor, which are assigned to the U(5), SU(3) and 0(6) symmetries. These shape phase transitions occur through critical points of the IBM phase diagram and correspond to rapid structural changes. The first transition of this type describes transition form the spherical to the γ-unstable phase and has been associated with an E(5) symmetry. Later further critical point symmetries e.g. X(5) and Y(5) have also been proposed for transitions between other nuclear shape phases. In another application the chain of even Ru isotopes was considered from A 98 to 112 [2]. The parameters were extracted from a fit to the low-lying energy spectrum of each nucleus and were used to plot the corresponding potential. It was found that up to A =102 the potential is essentially an harmonic oscillator, while at A =104 a rather flat potential was seen, in accordance with the expected phase transition and E(5) symmetry there. With increasing A then the minimum got increasingly deeper and moved away from β = 0. We discuss the possibility of generalizing the formalism in two ways: first by including dependence on the 7 variable allowing for the approximate description of nuclei close to the X(5) symmetry, and second, including higher-lying energy levels in the quasi-exactly solvable formalism

Quantum phase transitions in random XY spin chains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bunder, J.E.; McKenzie, R.H.

2000-01-01

Full text: The XY spin chain in a transverse field is one of the simplest quantum spin models. It is a reasonable model for heavy fermion materials such as CeCu 6-x Au x . It has two quantum phase transitions: the Ising transition and the anisotropic transition. Quantum phase transitions occur at zero temperature. We are investigating what effect the introduction of randomness has on these quantum phase transitions. Disordered systems which undergo quantum phase transitions can exhibit new universality classes. The universality class of a phase transition is defined by the set of critical exponents. In a random system with quantum phase transitions we can observe Griffiths-McCoy singularities. Such singularities are observed in regions which have no long range order, so they are not classified as critical regions, yet they display phenomena normally associated with critical points, such as a diverging susceptibility. Griffiths-McCoy phases are due to rare regions with stronger than! average interactions and may be present far from the quantum critical point. We show how the random XY spin chain may be mapped onto a random Dirac equation. This allows us to calculate the density of states without making any approximations. From the density of states we can describe the conditions which should allow a Griffiths-McCoy phase. We find that for the Ising transition the dynamic critical exponent, z, is not universal. It is proportional to the disorder strength and inversely proportional to the energy gap, hence z becomes infinite at the critical point where the energy gap vanishes

Robustness of the charge-ordered phases in IrTe2 against photoexcitation

Science.gov (United States)

Monney, C.; Schuler, A.; Jaouen, T.; Mottas, M.-L.; Wolf, Th.; Merz, M.; Muntwiler, M.; Castiglioni, L.; Aebi, P.; Weber, F.; Hengsberger, M.

2018-02-01

We present a time-resolved angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy study of IrTe2, which undergoes two first-order structural and charge-ordered phase transitions on cooling below 270 K and below 180 K. The possibility of inducing a phase transition by photoexcitation with near-infrared femtosecond pulses is investigated in the charge-ordered phases. We observe changes of the spectral function occurring within a few hundreds of femtoseconds and persisting up to several picoseconds, which we interpret as a partial photoinduced phase transition (PIPT). The necessary time for photoinducing these spectral changes increases with increasing photoexcitation density and reaches time scales longer than the rise time of the transient electronic temperature. We conclude that the PIPT is driven by a transient increase of the lattice temperature following the energy transfer from the electrons. However, the photoinduced changes of the spectral function are small, which indicates that the low-temperature phase is particularly robust against photoexcitation. We suggest that the system might be trapped in an out-of-equilibrium state, for which only a partial structural transition is achieved.

Deconfinement phase transition in QCD with heavy quarks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Attig, N.; Petersson, B.; Wolff, M.; Gavai, R.V.

1988-01-01

Using the pseudo-fermion method to simulate QCD with dynamical quarks we investigate the effects of heavy dynamical quarks of 2 flavours on the deconfinement phase transition in the quenched QCD. As the mass of the quark is decreased the phase transition weakens as expected. Compared to the earlier results with leading order hopping parameter expansion, however, the weakening is less rapid. Our estimated upper bound on the critical mass where the transition becomes continuous is 1.5-2 times lower than earlier results. (orig.)

Metal - Insulator Transition Driven by Vacancy Ordering in GeSbTe Phase Change Materials

OpenAIRE

Bragaglia, Valeria; Arciprete, Fabrizio; Privitera, Stefania; Rimini, Emanuele; Mazzarello, Riccardo; Calarco, Raffaella; Zhang, Wei; Mio, Antonio Massimiliano; Zallo, Eugenio; Perumal, Karthick; Giussani, Alessandro; Cecchi, Stefano; Boschker, Jos Emiel; Riechert, Henning

2016-01-01

Phase Change Materials (PCMs) are unique compounds employed in non-volatile random access memory thanks to the rapid and reversible transformation between the amorphous and crystalline state that display large differences in electrical and optical properties. In addition to the amorphous-to-crystalline transition, experimental results on polycrystalline GeSbTe alloys (GST) films evidenced a Metal-Insulator Transition (MIT) attributed to disorder in the crystalline phase. Here we report on a f...

Novel phase transitions in B-site doped manganites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Popovic, Z.V. [Institute of Physics, P.O. Box 68, 11080 Belgrade/Zemun (Serbia and Montenegro)]. E-mail: zoran.popovic@phy.bg.ac.yu; Cantarero, A. [Materials Science Institute, University of Valencia, P.O. Box 22085, 46071 Valencia (Spain); Thijssen, W.H.A. [Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratorium, Leiden University, Postbus 9504, 2300 RA Leiden (Netherlands); Paunovic, N. [Institute of Physics, P.O. Box 68, 11080 Belgrade/Zemun (Serbia and Montenegro); Dohcevic-Mitrovic, Z. [Institute of Physics, P.O. Box 68, 11080 Belgrade/Zemun (Serbia and Montenegro); Sapina, F. [Materials Science Institute, University of Valencia, P.O. Box 22085, 46071 Valencia (Spain)

2005-04-30

We have examined the infrared reflectivity and the electrical resistivity of La{sub 1-} {sub x} [Sr(Ba)] {sub x} Mn{sub 1-} {sub z} [Cu(Zn)] {sub z} O{sub 3} samples in ferromagnetic metallic and insulator regime. Several phase transitions are observed, the most obvious being the transition from a ferromagnetic metallic to a ferromagnetic insulator phase that is related to the formation of short-range orbitally ordered domains. The temperature T {sub 1} of the phase transition is dependent on doping concentration and for optimally doped samples ({approx}32% of Mn{sup 4+} ions) we have found T {sub 1}{approx}0.93 T {sub C}.

Correlated stopping, proton clusters and higher order proton cumulants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bzdak, Adam [AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Physics and Applied Computer Science, Krakow (Poland); Koch, Volker [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Nuclear Science Division, Berkeley, CA (United States); Skokov, Vladimir [RIKEN/BNL, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY (United States)

2017-05-15

We investigate possible effects of correlations between stopped nucleons on higher order proton cumulants at low energy heavy-ion collisions. We find that fluctuations of the number of wounded nucleons N{sub part} lead to rather nontrivial dependence of the correlations on the centrality; however, this effect is too small to explain the large and positive four-proton correlations found in the preliminary data collected by the STAR collaboration at √(s) = 7.7 GeV. We further demonstrate that, by taking into account additional proton clustering, we are able to qualitatively reproduce the preliminary experimental data. We speculate that this clustering may originate either from collective/multi-collision stopping which is expected to be effective at lower energies or from a possible first-order phase transition, or from (attractive) final state interactions. To test these ideas we propose to measure a mixed multi-particle correlation between stopped protons and a produced particle (e.g. pion, antiproton). (orig.)

Phase transitions in huddling emperor penguins

Science.gov (United States)

Richter, S.; Gerum, R.; Winterl, A.; Houstin, A.; Seifert, M.; Peschel, J.; Fabry, B.; Le Bohec, C.; Zitterbart, D. P.

2018-05-01

Emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) are highly adapted to the harsh conditions of the Antarctic winter: they are able to fast for up to 134 days during breeding. To conserve energy, emperor penguins form tight groups (huddles), which is key for their reproductive success. The effect of different meteorological factors on the huddling behaviour, however, is not well understood. Using time-lapse image recordings of an emperor penguin colony, we show that huddling can be described as a phase transition from a fluid to a solid state. We use the colony density as order parameter, and an apparent temperature that is perceived by the penguins as the thermodynamic variable. We approximate the apparent temperature as a linear combination of four meteorological parameters: ambient temperature, wind speed, global radiation and relative humidity. We find a wind chill factor of  ‑2.9 , a humidity chill factor of  ‑0.5 rel. humidity, and a solar radiation heating factor of 0.3 . In the absence of wind, humidity and solar radiation, the phase transition temperature (50% huddling probability) is  ‑48.2 °C for the investigated time period (May 2014). We propose that higher phase transition temperatures indicate a shrinking thermal insulation and thus can serve as a proxy for lower energy reserves of the colony, integrating pre-breeding foraging success at sea and energy expenditure at land due to environmental conditions. As current global change is predicted to have strong detrimental effects on emperor penguins within the next decades, our approach may thus contribute towards an urgently needed long-term monitoring system for assessing colony health.

The Kibble-Zurek mechanism in phase transitions of non-equilibrium systems

Science.gov (United States)

Cheung, Hil F. H.; Patil, Yogesh S.; Date, Aditya G.; Vengalattore, Mukund

2017-04-01

We experimentally realize a driven-dissipative phase transition using a mechanical parametric amplifier to demonstrate key signatures of a second order phase transition, including a point where the susceptibilities and relaxation time scales diverge, and where the system exhibits a spontaneous breaking of symmetry. Though reminiscent of conventional equilibrium phase transitions, it is unclear if such driven-dissipative phase transitions are amenable to the conventional Landau-Ginsburg-Wilson paradigm, which relies on concepts of scale invariance and universality, and recent work has shown that such phase transitions can indeed lie beyond such conventional universality classes. By quenching the system past the critical point, we investigate the dynamics of the emergent ordered phase and find that our measurements are in excellent agreement with the Kibble-Zurek mechanism. In addition to verifying the Kibble-Zurek hypothesis in driven-dissipative phase transitions for the first time, we also demonstrate that the measured critical exponents accurately reflect the interplay between intrinsic coherent dynamics and environmental correlations, showing a clear departure from mean field exponents in the case of non-Markovian system-bath interactions. We further discuss how reservoir engineering and the imposition of artificial environmental correlations can result in the stabilization of novel many-body quantum phases and aid in the creation of exotic non-equilibrium states of matter.

The problem of phase transitions in statistical mechanics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martynov, Georgii A

1999-01-01

The first part of this review deals with the single-phase approach to the statistical theory of phase transitions. This approach is based on the assumption that a first-order phase transition is due to the loss of stability of the parent phase. We demonstrate that it is practically impossible to find the coordinates of the transition points using this criterion in the framework of the global Gibbs theory which describes the state of the entire macroscopic system. On the basis of the Ornstein-Zernike equation we formulate a local approach that analyzes the state of matter inside the correlation sphere of radius R c ∼ 10 A. This approach is proved to be as rigorous as the Gibbs theory. In the context of the local approach we formulate a criterion that allows finding the transition points without calculating the chemical potential and the pressure of the second conjugate phase. In the second part of the review we consider second-order phase transitions (critical phenomena). The Kadanoff-Wilson theory of critical phenomena is analyzed, based on the global Gibbs approach. Again we use the Ornstein-Zernike equation to formulate a local theory of critical phenomena. With regard to experimentally established quantities this theory yields precisely the same results as the Kadanoff-Wilson theory; secondly, the local approach allows the prediction of many previously unknown details of critical phenomena, and thirdly, the local approach paves the way for constructing a unified theory of liquids that will describe the behavior of matter not only in the regular domain of the phase diagram, but also at the critical point and in its vicinity. (reviews of topical problems)

Gravitational wave generation from bubble collisions in first-order phase transitions: An analytic approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caprini, Chiara; Durrer, Ruth; Servant, Geraldine

2008-01-01

Gravitational wave production from bubble collisions was calculated in the early 1990s using numerical simulations. In this paper, we present an alternative analytic estimate, relying on a different treatment of stochasticity. In our approach, we provide a model for the bubble velocity power spectrum, suitable for both detonations and deflagrations. From this, we derive the anisotropic stress and analytically solve the gravitational wave equation. We provide analytical formulas for the peak frequency and the shape of the spectrum which we compare with numerical estimates. In contrast to the previous analysis, we do not work in the envelope approximation. This paper focuses on a particular source of gravitational waves from phase transitions. In a companion article, we will add together the different sources of gravitational wave signals from phase transitions: bubble collisions, turbulence and magnetic fields and discuss the prospects for probing the electroweak phase transition at LISA

The Structural Phase Transition in Solid DCN

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dietrich, O. W.; Mackenzie, Gordon A.; Pawley, G. S.

1975-01-01

Neutron scattering measurements on deuterated hydrogen cyanide have shown that the structural phase change from a tetragonal to an orthorhombic form at 160K is a first-order transition. A transverse acoustic phonon mode, which has the symmetry of the phase change, was observed at very low energies...

Insight into black hole phase transition from parametric solutions

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Dandan; Li, Shanshan; Mi, Li-Qin; Li, Zhong-Heng

2017-12-01

We consider the first-order phase transition of a charged anti-de Sitter black hole and introduce a new dimensionless parameter, ω =(Δ S /π Q2)2 . The parametric solutions of the two reduced volumes are obtained. Each volume is described by a piecewise analytic function. The demarcation point is located at ωd=12 (2 √{3 }-3 ). The volume function is smoothly connected at the point. We show that all properties of the coexistence curve can be studied from the two volume functions. In other words, an arbitrary reduced thermodynamic variable of the two coexisting phases is only a function of ω . Some phase diagrams are plotted by using parametric solutions. We find that, when the reduced pressure P ^>P^A (of order 7.4 ×10-4), the first-order phase transition of the black hole is similar to the van der Waals fluid. However, the similarity disappears when P ^≤P^A. At a van der Waals fluidlike stage, the values of the reduced Gibbs function and the reduced density average are equal. At a non-van der Waals fluid stage, the phase diagrams have extraordinarily rich structure. It is worth pointing out that the phase transition is very important for the low-pressure case since the pressure in essence is the cosmological constant, which is normally very small. Moreover, the thermodynamic behaviors as ω →0 are discussed, from which one can easily obtain some critical exponents and amplitudes for small-large black hole phase transitions.

Thickness-Dependent Order-to-Order Transitions of Bolaform-like Giant Surfactant in Thin Films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hsu, Chih-Hao; Yue, Kan; Wang, Jing; Dong, Xue-Hui; Xia, Yanfeng; Jiang, Zhang [X-ray; Thomas, Edwin L. [Department; Cheng, Stephen Z. D.

2017-09-07

Controlling self-assembled nanostructures in thin films allows the bottom-up fabrication of ordered nanoscale patterns. Here we report the unique thickness-dependent phase behavior in thin films of a bolaform-like giant surfactant, which consists of butyl- and hydroxyl-functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (BPOSS and DPOSS) cages telechelically located at the chain ends of a polystyrene (PS) chain with 28 repeating monomers on average. In the bulk, BPOSS-PS28-DPOSS forms a double gyroid (DG) phase. Both grazing incidence small angle X-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy techniques are combined to elucidate the thin film structures. Interestingly, films with thicknesses thinner than 200 nm exhibit an irreversible phase transition from hexagonal perforated layer (HPL) to compressed hexagonally packed cylinders (c-HEX) at 130 °C, while films with thickness larger than 200 nm show an irreversible transition from HPL to DG at 200 °C. The thickness-controlled transition pathway suggests possibilities to obtain diverse patterns via thin film self-assembly.

On the thermodynamics of phase transitions in metal hydrides

Science.gov (United States)

di Vita, Andrea

2012-02-01

Metal hydrides are solutions of hydrogen in a metal, where phase transitions may occur depending on temperature, pressure etc. We apply Le Chatelier's principle of thermodynamics to a particular phase transition in TiH x , which can approximately be described as a second-order phase transition. We show that the fluctuations of the order parameter correspond to fluctuations both of the density of H+ ions and of the distance between adjacent H+ ions. Moreover, as the system approaches the transition and the correlation radius increases, we show -with the help of statistical mechanics-that the statistical weight of modes involving a large number of H+ ions (`collective modes') increases sharply, in spite of the fact that the Boltzmann factor of each collective mode is exponentially small. As a result, the interaction of the H+ ions with collective modes makes a tiny suprathermal fraction of the H+ population appear. Our results hold for similar transitions in metal deuterides, too. A violation of an -insofar undisputed-upper bound on hydrogen loading follows.

Phase transitions in light nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dukelsky, J.; Poves, A.; Retamosa, J.

1991-01-01

The SU(3) Elliott model is used to study the thermal description of 20 Ne. This solvable model allows us to work in the canonical ensemble and still be able to define an order parameter, the expectation value of the intrinsic quadrupole moment, to investigate the occurrence of phase transitions

Nano-phase separation and structural ordering in silica-rich mixed network former glasses.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Hao; Youngman, Randall E; Kapoor, Saurabh; Jensen, Lars R; Smedskjaer, Morten M; Yue, Yuanzheng

2018-06-13

We investigate the structure, phase separation, glass transition, and crystallization in a mixed network former glass series, i.e., B2O3-Al2O3-SiO2-P2O5 glasses with varying SiO2/B2O3 molar ratio. All the studied glasses exhibit two separate glassy phases: droplet phase (G1) with the size of 50-100 nm and matrix phase (G2), corresponding to a lower calorimetric glass transition temperature (Tg1) and a higher one (Tg2), respectively. Both Tg values decrease linearly with the substitution of B2O3 for SiO2, but the magnitude of the decrease is larger for Tg1. Based on nuclear magnetic resonance and Raman spectroscopy results, we infer that the G1 phase is rich in boroxol rings, while the G2 phase mainly involves the B-O-Si network. Both phases contain BPO4- and AlPO4-like units. Ordered domains occur in G2 upon isothermal and dynamic heating, driven by the structural heterogeneity in the as-prepared glasses. The structural ordering lowers the activation energy of crystal growth, thus promoting partial crystallization of G2. These findings are useful for understanding glass formation and phase separation in mixed network former oxide systems, and for tailoring their properties.

Real-Time Observation of Order-Disorder Transformation of Organic Cations Induced Phase Transition and Anomalous Photoluminescence in Hybrid Perovskites.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Bin; Ming, Wenmei; Du, Mao-Hua; Keum, Jong K; Puretzky, Alexander A; Rouleau, Christopher M; Huang, Jinsong; Geohegan, David B; Wang, Xiaoping; Xiao, Kai

2018-05-01

A fundamental understanding of the interplay between the microscopic structure and macroscopic optoelectronic properties of organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite materials is essential to design new materials and improve device performance. However, how exactly the organic cations affect the structural phase transition and optoelectronic properties of the materials is not well understood. Here, real-time, in situ temperature-dependent neutron/X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence (PL) measurements reveal a transformation of the organic cation CH 3 NH 3 + from order to disorder with increasing temperature in CH 3 NH 3 PbBr 3 perovskites. The molecular-level order-to-disorder transformation of CH 3 NH 3 + not only leads to an anomalous increase in PL intensity, but also results in a multidomain to single-domain structural transition. This discovery establishes the important role that organic cation ordering has in dictating structural order and anomalous optoelectronic phenomenon in hybrid perovskites. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Friction forces on phase transition fronts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mégevand, Ariel

2013-01-01

In cosmological first-order phase transitions, the microscopic interaction of the phase transition fronts with non-equilibrium plasma particles manifests itself macroscopically as friction forces. In general, it is a nontrivial problem to compute these forces, and only two limits have been studied, namely, that of very slow walls and, more recently, ultra-relativistic walls which run away. In this paper we consider ultra-relativistic velocities and show that stationary solutions still exist when the parameters allow the existence of runaway walls. Hence, we discuss the necessary and sufficient conditions for the fronts to actually run away. We also propose a phenomenological model for the friction, which interpolates between the non-relativistic and ultra-relativistic values. Thus, the friction depends on two friction coefficients which can be calculated for specific models. We then study the velocity of phase transition fronts as a function of the friction parameters, the thermodynamic parameters, and the amount of supercooling

The model of metal-insulator phase transition in vanadium oxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vikhnin, V.S.; Lysenko, S.; Rua, A.; Fernandez, F.; Liu, H.

2005-01-01

Thermally induced metal-insulator phase transitions (PT) in VO 2 thin films are studied theoretically and experimentally. The hysteresis phenomena in the region of the transition for different type thin films were investigated. The phenomenological model of the PT is suggested. The charge transfer-lattice instability in VO 2 metallic phase is considered as basis of the first order metal-insulator PT in VO 2 . The charge transfer is treated as an order parameter

Study of the hard-disk system at high densities: the fluid-hexatic phase transition.

Science.gov (United States)

Mier-Y-Terán, Luis; Machorro-Martínez, Brian Ignacio; Chapela, Gustavo A; Del Río, Fernando

2018-06-21

Integral equations of uniform fluids have been considered unable to predict any characteristic feature of the fluid-solid phase transition, including the shoulder that arises in the second peak of the fluid-phase radial distribution function, RDF, of hard-core systems obtained by computer simulations, at fluid densities very close to the structural two-step phase transition. This reasoning is based on the results of traditional integral approximations, like Percus-Yevick, PY, which does not show such a shoulder in hard-core systems, neither in two nor three dimensions. In this work, we present results of three Ansätze, based on the PY theory, that were proposed to remedy the lack of PY analytical solutions in two dimensions. This comparative study shows that one of those Ansätze does develop a shoulder in the second peak of the RDF at densities very close to the phase transition, qualitatively describing this feature. Since the shoulder grows into a peak at still higher densities, this integral equation approach predicts the appearance of an orientational order characteristic of the hexatic phase in a continuous fluid-hexatic phase transition.

Dimension changing phase transitions in instanton crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaplunovsky, Vadim; Sonnenschein, Jacob

2014-01-01

We investigate lattices of instantons and the dimension-changing transitions between them. Our ultimate goal is the 3D→4D transition, which is holographically dual to the phase transition between the baryonic and the quarkyonic phases of cold nuclear matter. However, in this paper (just as in http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/JHEP11(2012)047) we focus on lower dimensions — the 1D lattice of instantons in a harmonic potential V∝M 2 2 x 2 2 +M 3 2 x 2 2 +M 4 2 x 4 2 , and the zigzag-shaped lattice as a first stage of the 1D→2D transition. We prove that in the low- and moderate-density regimes, interactions between the instantons are dominated by two-body forces. This drastically simplifies finding the ground state of the instantons’ orientations, so we made a numeric scan of the whole orientation space instead of assuming any particular ansatz. We find that depending on the M 2 /M 3 /M 4 ratios, the ground state of instanton orientations can follow a wide variety of patterns. For the straight 1D lattices, we found orientations periodically running over elements of a ℤ 2 , Klein, prismatic, or dihedral subgroup of the SU(2)/ℤ 2 , as well as irrational but link-periodic patterns. For the zigzag-shaped lattices, we detected 4 distinct orientation phases — the anti-ferromagnet, another abelian phase, and two non-abelian phases. Allowing the zigzag amplitude to vary as a function of increasing compression force, we obtained the phase diagrams for the straight and zigzag-shaped lattices in the (force,M 3 /M 4 ), (chemical potential,M 3 /M 4 ), and (density,M 3 /M 4 ) planes. Some of the transitions between these phases are second-order while others are first-order. Our techniques can be applied to other types of non-abelian crystals

Chiral phase transition of QCD with N{sub f}=2+1 flavors from holography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Danning [Department of Physics, Jinan University,Guangzhou 510632 (China); Huang, Mei [Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100049 (China); University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100049 (China); Theoretical Physics Center for Science Facilities, Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100049 (China)

2017-02-08

Chiral phase transition for three-flavor N{sub f}=2+1 QCD with m{sub u}=m{sub d}≠m{sub s} is investigated in a modified soft-wall holographic QCD model. Solving temperature dependent chiral condensates from equations of motion of the modified soft-wall model, we extract the quark mass dependence of the order of chiral phase transition in the case of N{sub f}=2+1, and the result is in agreement with the “Columbia Plot”, which is summarized from lattice simulations and other non-perturbative methods. First order phase transition is observed around the three flavor chiral limit m{sub u/d}=0,m{sub s}=0, while at sufficient large quark masses it turns to be a crossover phase transition. The first order and crossover regions are separated by a second order phase transition line. The second order line is divided into two parts by the m{sub u/d}=m{sub s} line, and the m{sub s} dependence of the transition temperature in these two parts are totally contrast, which might indicate that the two parts are governed by different universality classes.

Magnetic Phase Transitions in NdCoAsO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McGuire, Michael A [ORNL; Gout, Delphine J [ORNL; Garlea, Vasile O [ORNL; Sefat, A. S. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL); Sales, Brian C [ORNL; Mandrus, David [ORNL

2010-01-01

NdCoAsO undergoes three magnetic phase transitions below room temperature. Here we report the results of our experimental investigation of this compound, including determination of the crystal and magnetic structures using powder neutron diffraction, as well as measurements of electrical resistivity, thermal conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, magnetization, and heat capacity. These results show that upon cooling a ferromagnetic state emerges near 69 K with a small saturation moment of -0.2{micro}{sub B}, likely on Co atoms. At 14 K the material enters an antiferromagnetic state with propagation vector (0 0 1/2) and small ordered moments (-0.4{micro}{sub B}) on Co and Nd. Near 3.5 K a third transition is observed, and corresponds to the antiferromagnetic ordering of larger moments on Nd, with the same propagation vector. The ordered moment on Nd reaches 1.39(5){micro}{sub B} at 300 mK. Anomalies in the magnetization, electrical resistivity, and heat capacity are observed at all three magnetic phase transitions.

Phase transition of the FCC Ising ferromagnet with competing interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oh, J.H.; Lee, J.Y.; Kim, D.C.

1984-01-01

A molecular field theory with correlation and Monte Carlo simulations are utilized to determine the zero field phase diagram of a fcc Ising model with ferromagnetic nearest neighbor(-J) and antiferromagnetic next neighbor (*aJ) interactions. The correlated molecular field theory predicts a fluctuation induced first order phase transition for 0.87<*a<1.31. Monte Carlo analysis indicates that the first order transition occurs for a somewhat wider range of *a. The transition temperatures obtained by the two methods are in good agreement especially near *a=1 where the fluctuation effect is expected to be large. (Author)

Phase Transitions in Sexual Populations Subject to Stabilizing Selection

Science.gov (United States)

Rogers, A.

2003-04-01

We show that a simple model of an evolving sexual population, which dates back to some of the earliest work in theoretical population genetics, exhibits an unexpected and previously unobserved phase transition between ordered and disordered states. This behavior is not present in populations evolving asexually without recombination and is thus important in any comparison of sexual and asexual populations. In order to calculate the details of the phase transition, we use techniques from statistical physics. We introduce the correlation of the population as the order parameter of the system and use maximum entropy inference to find the state of the population at any time.

Ball solitons in kinetics of the first order magnetic phase transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nietz, V.V.; Osipov, A.A.

2007-01-01

The theory of magnetic ball solitons (BS), arising as a result of the energy fluctuations at the spin-flop transition induced by a magnetic field in antiferromagnets with uniaxial anisotropy, is presented. Such solitons are possible in a wide range of amplitudes and energies, including the negative energy relative to an initial condition. When such an antiferromagnet is in a metastable condition, ball solitons are born with the greatest probability if the energy of solitons is close to zero. Evolution of these solitons, at which they develop into macroscopic domains of a new magnetic phase, is analyzed, thus carrying out full phase reorganization

Pressure-dependence of the phase transitions and thermal expansion in zirconium and hafnium pyrovanadate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gallington, Leighanne C.; Hester, Brett R.; Kaplan, Benjamin S. [School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332‐0400 (United States); Wilkinson, Angus P., E-mail: angus.wilkinson@chemistry.gatech.edu [School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332‐0400 (United States); School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332‐0245 (United States)

2017-05-15

Low or negative thermal expansion (NTE) has been previously observed in members of the ZrP{sub 2}O{sub 7} family at temperatures higher than their order-disorder phase transitions. The thermoelastic properties and phase behavior of the low temperature superstructure and high temperature negative thermal expansion phases of ZrV{sub 2}O{sub 7} and HfV{sub 2}O{sub 7} were explored via in situ variable temperature/pressure powder x-ray diffraction measurements. The phase transition temperatures of ZrV{sub 2}O{sub 7} and HfV{sub 2}O{sub 7} exhibited a very strong dependence on pressure (∼700 K GPa), with moderate compression suppressing the formation of their NTE phases below 513 K. Compression also reduced the magnitude of the coefficients of thermal expansion in both the positive and negative thermal expansion phases. Additionally, the high temperature NTE phase of ZrV{sub 2}O{sub 7} was found to be twice as stiff as the low temperature positive thermal expansion superstructure (24 and 12 GPa respectively). - Graphical abstract: The temperature at which ZrV{sub 2}O{sub 7} transforms to a phase displaying negative thermal expansion is strongly pressure dependent. The high temperature form of ZrV{sub 2}O{sub 7} is elastically stiffer than the low temperature form. - Highlights: • The order-disorder phase transition temperatures in ZrV{sub 2}O{sub 7} and HfV{sub 2}O{sub 7} are strongly pressure dependent (∼700 K.GPa). • The high temperature (disordered) phase of ZrV{sub 2}O{sub 7} is much stiffer than the ambient temperature (ordered) phase. • Compression reduces the magnitude of the negative thermal expansion in the high temperature phase of ZrV{sub 2}O{sub 7}.

Noise-and delay-induced phase transitions of the dimer–monomer surface reaction model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeng Chunhua; Wang Hua

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► We study the dimer–monomer surface reaction model. ► We show that noise induces first-order irreversible phase transition (IPT). ► Combination of noise and time-delayed feedback induce first- and second-order IPT. ► First- and second-order IPT is viewed as noise-and delay-induced phase transitions. - Abstract: The effects of noise and time-delayed feedback in the dimer–monomer (DM) surface reaction model are investigated. Applying small delay approximation, we construct a stochastic delayed differential equation and its Fokker–Planck equation to describe the state evolution of the DM reaction model. We show that the noise can only induce first-order irreversible phase transition (IPT) characteristic of the DM model, however the combination of the noise and time-delayed feedback can simultaneously induce first- and second-order IPT characteristics of the DM model. Therefore, it is shown that the well-known first- and second-order IPT characteristics of the DM model may be viewed as noise-and delay-induced phase transitions.

Order parameter analysis of synchronization transitions on star networks

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Hong-Bin; Sun, Yu-Ting; Gao, Jian; Xu, Can; Zheng, Zhi-Gang

2017-12-01

The collective behaviors of populations of coupled oscillators have attracted significant attention in recent years. In this paper, an order parameter approach is proposed to study the low-dimensional dynamical mechanism of collective synchronizations, by adopting the star-topology of coupled oscillators as a prototype system. The order parameter equation of star-linked phase oscillators can be obtained in terms of the Watanabe-Strogatz transformation, Ott-Antonsen ansatz, and the ensemble order parameter approach. Different solutions of the order parameter equation correspond to the diverse collective states, and different bifurcations reveal various transitions among these collective states. The properties of various transitions in the star-network model are revealed by using tools of nonlinear dynamics such as time reversibility analysis and linear stability analysis.

Evidence of quantum phase transition in real-space vacuum entanglement of higher derivative scalar quantum field theories.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, S Santhosh; Shankaranarayanan, S

2017-11-17

In a bipartite set-up, the vacuum state of a free Bosonic scalar field is entangled in real space and satisfies the area-law- entanglement entropy scales linearly with area of the boundary between the two partitions. In this work, we show that the area law is violated in two spatial dimensional model Hamiltonian having dynamical critical exponent z = 3. The model physically corresponds to next-to-next-to-next nearest neighbour coupling terms on a lattice. The result reported here is the first of its kind of violation of area law in Bosonic systems in higher dimensions and signals the evidence of a quantum phase transition. We provide evidence for quantum phase transition both numerically and analytically using quantum Information tools like entanglement spectra, quantum fidelity, and gap in the energy spectra. We identify the cause for this transition due to the accumulation of large number of angular zero modes around the critical point which catalyses the change in the ground state wave function due to the next-to-next-to-next nearest neighbor coupling. Lastly, using Hubbard-Stratanovich transformation, we show that the effective Bosonic Hamiltonian can be obtained from an interacting fermionic theory and provide possible implications for condensed matter systems.

Order parameters for symmetry-breaking structural transitions: The tetragonal-monoclinic transition in ZrO2

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, John C.; Van der Ven, Anton

2017-10-01

Group/subgroup structural phase transitions are exploited in a wide variety of technologies, including those that rely on shape-memory behavior and on transformation toughening. Here, we introduce an approach to identify symmetry-adapted strain and shuffle order parameters for any group/subgroup structural transition between a high-symmetry parent phase and its symmetrically equivalent low-symmetry product phases. We show that symmetry-adapted atomic shuffle order parameters can be determined by the diagonalization of an orbital covariance matrix, formed by taking the covariance among the atomic displacement vectors of all symmetrically equivalent product phase variants. We use this approach to analyze the technologically important tetragonal to monoclinic structural phase transformation of ZrO2. We explore the energy landscapes, as calculated with density functional theory, along distinct paths that connect m ZrO2 to t ZrO2 and to other m ZrO2 variants. The calculations indicate favorable pairs of variants and reveal intermediate structures likely to exist at coherent twin boundaries and having relatively low deformation energy. We identify crystallographic features of the monoclinic ZrO2 variant that make it very sensitive to shape changing strains.

Ab initio theory of helix <-> coil phase transition

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yakubovich, Alexander V.; Solov'yov, Ilia; Solov'yov, Andrey V.

2008-01-01

In this paper, we suggest a theoretical method based on the statistical mechanics for treating the alpha-helix <-> random coil transition in alanine polypeptides. We consider this process as a first-order phase transition and develop a theory which is free of model parameters and is based solely ...

Prethermalization and persistent order in the absence of a thermal phase transition

Science.gov (United States)

Halimeh, Jad C.; Zauner-Stauber, Valentin; McCulloch, Ian P.; de Vega, Inés; Schollwöck, Ulrich; Kastner, Michael

2017-01-01

We numerically study the dynamics after a parameter quench in the one-dimensional transverse-field Ising model with long-range interactions (∝1 /rα with distance r ), for finite chains and also directly in the thermodynamic limit. In nonequilibrium, i.e., before the system settles into a thermal state, we find a long-lived regime that is characterized by a prethermal value of the magnetization, which in general differs from its thermal value. We find that the ferromagnetic phase is stabilized dynamically: as a function of the quench parameter, the prethermal magnetization shows a transition between a symmetry-broken and a symmetric phase, even for those values of α for which no finite-temperature transition occurs in equilibrium. The dynamical critical point is shifted with respect to the equilibrium one, and the shift is found to depend on α as well as on the quench parameters.

Phase transitions and transport in anisotropic superconductors with large thermal fluctuations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fisher, D.S.

1991-01-01

Fluctuation effects in conventional superconductors such as broadening of phase transitions and flux creep tend to be very small primarily because of the large coherence lengths. Thus mean field theory, with only small fluctuation corrections, usually provides an adequate description of these systems. Regimes in which fluctuation effects cause qualitatively different physics are very difficult to study as they typically occur in very small regions of the phase diagram or, in transport, require measuring extremely small voltages. In striking contrast, in the high temperature cuprate superconductors a combination of factors - short coherence lengths, anisotropy and higher temperatures - make fluctuation effects many orders of magnitude larger. The current understanding of transport and phase transitions in the cuprate superconductors-particularly YBCO and BSCCO-is reviewed. New results are presented on the two-dimensional regimes and 2D-3D crossover in the strongly anisotropic case of BSCCO. The emphasis is on pinning and vortex glass behavior

Commensurate-incommensurate phase transition in the deformed crystal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parlinski, K.; Watanabe, Y.; Ohno, K.; Kawazoe, Y.

1995-01-01

Using simple orthorhombic microscopic model the commensurate-incommensurate phase transition has been studied. Coupling of the order parameter with spontaneous strain may lead to process which uses the ferroelastic domain walls to introduce the discommensurations to the incommensurate phase. (author). 4 refs, 1 fig

Pressure induced phase transitions in ceramic compounds containing tetragonal zirconia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sparks, R.G.; Pfeiffer, G.; Paesler, M.A.

1988-12-01

Stabilized tetragonal zirconia compounds exhibit a transformation toughening process in which stress applied to the material induces a crystallographic phase transition. The phase transition is accompanied by a volume expansion in the stressed region thereby dissipating stress and increasing the fracture strength of the material. The hydrostatic component of the stress required to induce the phase transition can be investigated by the use of a high pressure technique in combination with Micro-Raman spectroscopy. The intensity of Raman lines characteristic for the crystallographic phases can be used to calculate the amount of material that has undergone the transition as a function of pressure. It was found that pressures on the order of 2-5 kBar were sufficient to produce an almost complete transition from the original tetragonal to the less dense monoclinic phase; while a further increase in pressure caused a gradual reversal of the transition back to the original tetragonal structure.

Gravitational Waves from a Dark Phase Transition.

Science.gov (United States)

Schwaller, Pedro

2015-10-30

In this work, we show that a large class of models with a composite dark sector undergo a strong first order phase transition in the early Universe, which could lead to a detectable gravitational wave signal. We summarize the basic conditions for a strong first order phase transition for SU(N) dark sectors with n_{f} flavors, calculate the gravitational wave spectrum and show that, depending on the dark confinement scale, it can be detected at eLISA or in pulsar timing array experiments. The gravitational wave signal provides a unique test of the gravitational interactions of a dark sector, and we discuss the complementarity with conventional searches for new dark sectors. The discussion includes the twin Higgs and strongly interacting massive particle models as well as symmetric and asymmetric composite dark matter scenarios.

High pressure structural phase transition of neodymium mono pnictides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pagare, Gitanjali; Ojha, P.; Sanyal, S.P.; Aynyas, Mahendra

2007-01-01

We have investigated theoretically the high-pressure structural phase transition of two neodymium mono NdX (X=As, Sb) using an interionic potential theory with necessary modification to include the effect of Coulomb screening by the delocalized f electrons of Nd ion. These compounds exhibits first order crystallographic phase transition from their NaCl (B 1 ) phase to body centered tetragonal (BCT) at 27 GPa and 15.3 GPa respectively. We also calculated the Nd-Nd distance as a function of pressure. (author)

Thermodynamic geometry and phase transitions of dyonic charged AdS black holes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chaturvedi, Pankaj; Sengupta, Gautam [Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Department of Physics, Kanpur (India); Das, Anirban [Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Department of Theoretical Physics, Mumbai (India)

2017-02-15

We investigate phase transitions and critical phenomena of four dimensional dyonic charged AdS black holes in the framework of thermodynamic geometry. In a mixed canonical-grand canonical ensemble with a fixed electric charge and varying magnetic charge these black holes exhibit a liquid-gas like first order phase transition culminating in a second order critical point similar to the van der Waals gas. We show that the thermodynamic scalar curvature R for these black holes follow our proposed geometrical characterization of the R-crossing Method for the first order liquid-gas like phase transition and exhibits a divergence at the second order critical point. The pattern of R crossing and divergence exactly corresponds to those of a van der Waals gas described by us in an earlier work. (orig.)

One-Way Deficit and Quantum Phase Transitions in XX Model

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yao-Kun; Zhang, Yu-Ran

2018-02-01

Quantum correlations including entanglement and quantum discord have drawn much attention in characterizing quantum phase transitions. Quantum deficit originates in questions regarding work extraction from quantum systems coupled to a heat bath (Oppenheim et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 89, 180402, 2002). It links quantum thermodynamics with quantum correlations and provides a new standpoint for understanding quantum non-locality. In this paper, we evaluate the one-way deficit of two adjacent spins in the bulk for the XX model. In the thermodynamic limit, the XX model undergoes a first order transition from fully polarized to a critical phase with quasi-long-range order with decrease of quantum parameter. We find that the one-way deficit becomes nonzero after the critical point. Therefore, the one-way deficit characterizes the quantum phase transition in the XX model.

Phase transitions in an Ising model for monolayers of coadsorbed atoms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, H.H.; Landau, D.P.

1979-01-01

A Monte Carlo method is used to study a simple S=1 Ising (lattice-gas) model appropriate for monolayers composed of two kinds of atoms on cubic metal substrates H = K/sub nn/ Σ/sub nn/ S 2 /sub i/zS 2 /sub j/z + J/sub nnn/ Σ/sub nnn/ S/sub i/zS/sub j/z + Δ Σ/sub i/ S 2 /sub i/z (where nn denotes nearest-neighbor and nnn next-nearest-neighbor pairs). The phase diagram is determined over a wide range of Δ and T for K/sub nn//J/sub nnn/=1/4. For small (or negative) Δ we find an antiferromagnetic 2 x 1 ordered phase separated from the disordered state by a line of second-order phase transitions. The 2 x 1 phase is separated by a line of first-order transitions from a c (2 x 2) phase which appears for larger Δ. The 2 x 1 and c (2 x 2) phases become simultaneously critical at a bicritical point and the phase boundary of the c (2 x 2) → disordered transition shows a tricritical point

Thermodynamics, phase transition and quasinormal modes with Weyl corrections

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mahapatra, Subhash [The Institute of Mathematical Sciences,Chennai 600113 (India)

2016-04-21

We study charged black holes in D dimensional AdS space, in the presence of four derivative Weyl correction. We obtain the black hole solution perturbatively up to first as well as second order in the Weyl coupling, and show that first law of black hole thermodynamics is satisfied in all dimensions. We study its thermodynamic phase transition and then calculate the quasinormal frequencies of the massless scalar field perturbation. We find that, here too, the quasinormal frequencies capture the essence of black hole phase transition. Few subtleties near the second order critical point are discussed.

Thermodynamics of phase transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cofta, H.

1972-01-01

The phenomenology of the phase transitions has been considered. The definitions of thermodynamic functions and parameters, as well as those of the phase transitions, are given and some of the relations between those quantities are discussed. The phase transitions classification proposed by Ehrenfest has been described. The most important features of phase transitions are discussed using the selected physical examples including the critical behaviour of ferromagnetic materials at the Curie temperature and antiferromagnetic materials at the Neel temperature. Some aspects of the Ehrenfest's equations, that have been derived, for the interfacial lines and surfaces are considered as well as the role the notion of interfaces. (S.B.)

Multiple phase transitions and magnetoresistance of HoFe{sub 4}Ge{sub 2}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, J., E-mail: liujing@iastate.edu; Pecharsky, V.K.; Gschneidner, K.A.

2015-05-15

Highlights: • Three magnetic transitions at T{sub N} = 51 K, T{sub f1} = 42 K, and T{sub f2} = 15 K. • Kinetically arrested phase below a freezing point of ∼11 K. • First-order metamagnetic transition at critical field ∼22 kOe below 35 K. • A large magnetoresistance of ∼30% at a field change of 30 kOe near 15 K. - Abstract: A systematic study of the structural, magnetic, heat capacity, electrical resistivity and magnetoresistance properties of HoFe{sub 4}Ge{sub 2} has been performed. The temperature dependencies of the magnetization and heat capacity show three magnetic transitions at T{sub N} = 51 K, T{sub f1} = 42 K, and T{sub f2} = 15 K. The high temperature transition is antiferromagnetic ordering and the two low temperature phase transitions are due to rearrangements of the magnetic structure. A kinetically arrested phase is observed below a freezing point of ∼11 K. Below 35 K, the behavior of the isothermal magnetization reflects a first-order metamagnetic phase transition. Multiple phase transitions are also manifested in the electrical resistivity behavior. For a field change of 30 kOe, a large magnetoresistance of ∼30% is observed near T{sub f2} (15 K)

Hadron-quark phase transition in dense stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grassi, F.

1987-10-01

An equation of state is computed for a plasma of one flavor quarks interacting through some phenomenological potential, at zero temperature. Assuming that the confining potential is scalar and color-independent, it is shown that the quarks undergo a first-order mass phase transition. In addition, due to the way screening is introduced, all the thermodynamic quantities computed are independent of the actual shape of the interquark potential. This equation of state is then generalized to a several quark flavor plasma and applied to the study of the hadron-quark phase transition inside a neutron star. 45 refs., 4 figs

Coherent state approach for the Φ6-lattice model and phase transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aguero-Granados, M.A.; Makhan'kov, V.G.

1991-01-01

Phase transitions in the lattice version of the Φ 6 -field theory are studied. The generalized coherent states approach to is used. In such a way the roles of kinks and bubbles in phase transitions have been reexamined. It is shown via a numerical analysis that first and second order phase transitions appear due to the behaviour of kinks and bubbles excitations. 12 refs.; 10 figs

Displacive phase transition at the 5/3 monolayer of Pb on Ge(001)

Science.gov (United States)

Cvetko, D.; Ratto, F.; Cossaro, A.; Bavdek, G.; Morgante, A.; Floreano, L.

2005-07-01

At a coverage of 5/3 monolayer (ML), Pb adsorbed on Ge(001) forms a ground phase displaying a ((21)/(06)) symmetry. This phase undergoes two reversible phase transitions ((21)/(06))↔((21)/(03))↔(2×1) at the critical temperatures Tc1˜178K and Tc2˜375K , respectively. We investigated the behavior of the relevant order parameters at the critical temperatures by means of He and in-plane x-ray diffraction (HAS and XRD, respectively). Both phase transitions at the critical temperature put in evidence a clear order-disorder behavior, in agreement with the universality class expected for the corresponding symmetry group transformation. The low-temperature transition yields the critical exponent of the two-dimensional (2-D) Ising universality class, whereas the three-state Potts’ critical exponents are found for the high-temperature transition. By out-of-plane XRD measurements, the low-temperature phase transition is observed to be accompanied by a static surface distortion at room temperature. A complementary HAS study of the temperature evolution of the surface charge corrugation reveals that the complete ((21)/(06))↔((21)/(03)) transition is of the displacive type. On the contrary, the high-temperature phase transition does not show any change of the surface corrugation up to its irreversible decomposition, thus pointing to a pure order-disorder character.

Calorimetric Study of Phase Transitions Involving Twist-Grain-Boundary TGB{A} and TGB{C} Phases

Science.gov (United States)

Navailles, L.; Garland, C. W.; Nguyen, H. T.

1996-09-01

High-resolution calorimetry has been used to determine the heat capacity and latent heat associated with phase transitions in the homologous series of chiral liquid crystals nF_2BTFO_1M_7 [ 3-fluoro-4(1-methylheptyloxy)4'-(4''-alkoxy-2'', 3''-difluorobenzoyloxy)tolane] . These compounds exhibit smectic-C^* (SmC^*), twist-grain-boundary (TGBA for n=10, TGBC for n=11, 12) and cholesteric (N^*) phases. All the phase transitions are first order with small to moderate latent heats. There is a large rounded excess heat capacity peak in the N^* phase that is consistent with the predicted appearance of short-range TGB order (chiral line liquid character). This is analogous to the development of an Abrikosov flux vortex liquid in type-II superconductors. Both the n=11 and 12 homologs exhibit two closely spaced transitions in the region where a single TGBC - N^* transition was expected. This suggests the existence of two thermodynamically distinct TGBC phases. Des exprériences de calorimétrie haute résolution ont été réalisées pour déterminer les chaleurs spécifiques et les chaleurs latentes associées aux transitions de phase des homologues de la série crystal liquide nF_2BTFO_1M_7: 3-fluoro-4[1-methyl-heptyloxy]4'-(4''-alcoxy-2'', 3''-difluorobenzoyloxy)tolanes. Ces produits présentent la phase smectique C^* (SmC^*), les phases à torsion par joint de grain (TGBA pour n=10 et TGBC pour n=11, 12) et la phase cholestérique (N^*). Toutes les transitions de phase sont du premier ordre. La chaleur latente associée à ces transitions est faibles ou modérée. Nous observons, dans la phase N^*, un grand pic arrondi qui est en accord avec les prédictions de l'apparition d'un ordre TGB à courte distance (liquide de ligne de dislocation). Ce phénomène est l'analogue du liquide de vortex dans les supraconducteurs de type II. Les composés n=11 et 12 présentent, dans la région où nous attendions une transition TGBC - N^* unique, deux transitions sur un très faible

The shape of the melting curve and phase transitions in the liquid state

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yahel, Eyal

2014-01-01

The phase diagram of elemental liquids has been found to be surprisingly rich, including variations in the melting curve and transitions in the liquid phase. The effect of these transitions on the shape of the melting curve is reviewed and analyzed. First-order phase transitions intersecting the melting curve imply piecewise continuous melting curves, with solid-solid transitions generating upward kinks or minima and liquid-liquid transitions generating downward kinks or maxima

Magnetic Phase Transitions of CeSb. II: Effects of Applied Magnetic Fields

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Meier, G.; Fischer, P.; Hälg, W.

1978-01-01

For pt.I see ibid., vol.11, p.345 (1978). The metamagnetic phase transition and the associated phase diagram of the anomalous antiferromagnet CeSb were determined in a neutron diffraction study of the magnetic ordering of CeSb single crystals in applied magnetic fields parallel to the (001...... magnetic fields. The observed magnetic structures do not correspond to the stable configurations expected from the molecular field theory of the face-centred cubic lattice. The change from a first-order transition at the Neel temperature in zero field to second-order transition at high fields points...

Simulating the electroweak phase transition in the SU(2) Higgs model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fodor, Z.; Hein, J.; Jansen, K.; Jaster, A.; Montvay, I.

1994-09-01

Numerical simulations are performed to study the finite temperature phase transition in the SU(2) Higgs model on the lattice. In the presently investigated range of the Higgs boson mass, below 50 GeV, the phase transition turns out to be of first order and its strength is rapidly decreasing with increasing Higgs boson mass. In order to control the systematic errors, we also perform studies of scaling violations and of finite volume effects. (orig.)

Study of higher order cumulant expansion of U(1) lattice gauge model at finite temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zheng Xite; Lei Chunhong; Li Yuliang; Chen Hong

1993-01-01

The order parameter, Polyakov line , of the U(1) gauge model on N σ 3 x N τ (N τ = 1) lattice by using the cumulant expansion is calculated to the 5-th order. The emphasis is put on the behaviour of the cumulant expansion in the intermediate coupling region. The necessity of higher order expansion is clarified from the connection between the cumulant expansion and the correlation length. The variational parameter in the n-th order calculation is determined by the requirement that corrections of the n-th order expansion to the zeroth order expansion finish. The agreement with the Monte Carlo simulation is obtained not only in the weak and strong coupling regions, but also in the intermediate coupling region except in the very vicinity of the phase transition point

Electroweak Phase Transition and Baryogenesis in the nMSSM

CERN Document Server

Huber, S J; Prokopec, T; Schmidt, M G; Huber, Stephan J.; Konstandin, Thomas; Prokopec, Tomislav; Schmidt, Michael G.

2006-01-01

We analyze the nMSSM with CP violation in the singlet sector. We study the static and dynamical properties of the electroweak phase transition. We conclude that electroweak baryogenesis in this model is generic in the sense that if the present limits on the mass spectrum are applied, no severe additional tuning is required to obtain a strong first-order phase transition and to generate a sufficient baryon asymmetry. For this we determine the shape of the nucleating bubbles, including the profiles of CP-violating phases. The baryon asymmetry is calculated using the advanced transport theory to first and second order in gradient expansion presented recently. Still, first and second generation sfermions must be heavy to avoid large electric dipole moments.

Interplay of the Glass Transition and the Liquid-Liquid Phase Transition in Water

Science.gov (United States)

Giovambattista, Nicolas; Loerting, Thomas; Lukanov, Boris R.; Starr, Francis W.

2012-01-01

Water has multiple glassy states, often called amorphous ices. Low-density (LDA) and high-density (HDA) amorphous ice are separated by a dramatic, first-order like phase transition. It has been argued that the LDA-HDA transformation connects to a first-order liquid-liquid phase transition (LLPT) above the glass transition temperature Tg. Direct experimental evidence of the LLPT is challenging to obtain, since the LLPT occurs at conditions where water rapidly crystallizes. In this work, we explore the implications of a LLPT on the pressure dependence of Tg(P) for LDA and HDA by performing computer simulations of two water models – one with a LLPT, and one without. In the absence of a LLPT, Tg(P) for all glasses nearly coincide. When there is a LLPT, different glasses exhibit dramatically different Tg(P) which are directly linked with the LLPT. Available experimental data for Tg(P) are only consistent with the scenario including a LLPT. PMID:22550566

Phase transitions modern applications

CERN Document Server

Gitterman, Moshe

2014-01-01

This book provides a comprehensive review of the theory of phase transitions and its modern applications, based on the five pillars of the modern theory of phase transitions i.e. the Ising model, mean field, scaling, renormalization group and universality. This expanded second edition includes, along with a description of vortices and high temperature superconductivity, a discussion of phase transitions in chemical reaction and moving systems. The book covers a close connection between phase transitions and small world phenomena as well as scale-free systems such as the stock market and the Internet. Readership: Scientists working in different fields of physics, chemistry, biology and economics as well as teaching material for undergraduate and graduate courses.

The electroweak phase transition in models with gauge singlets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ahriche, A.

2007-04-18

A strong first order phase transition is needed for generating the baryon asymmetry; and also to save it during the electroweak phase transition (EWPT). However this condition is not fulfilled within the Standard Model (SM), but in its extensions. It is widely believed that the existence of singlet scalars in some Standard Model extensions can easily make the EWPT strongly first order. In this work, we will examine the strength of the EWPT in the simplest extension of the SM with a real gauge singlet using the sphaleron energy at the critical temperature. We find that the phase transition is stronger by adding a singlet; and also that the criterion for a strong phase transition {omega}(T{sub c})/T{sub c} >or similar 1, where {omega} = (v{sup 2} + (x - x{sub 0}){sup 2}){sup (}1)/(2) and x(x{sub 0}) is the singlet vacuum expectation value in the broken (symmetric) phase, is not valid for models containing singlets, even though often used in the literature. The usual condition v{sub c}/T{sub c} >or similar 1 is more meaningful, and it is satisfied for the major part of the parameter space for physically allowed Higgs masses. Then it is convenient to study the EWPT in models with singlets that couple only to the Higgs doublets, by replacing the singlets by their vevs. (orig.)

The electroweak phase transition in models with gauge singlets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahriche, A.

2007-01-01

A strong first order phase transition is needed for generating the baryon asymmetry; and also to save it during the electroweak phase transition (EWPT). However this condition is not fulfilled within the Standard Model (SM), but in its extensions. It is widely believed that the existence of singlet scalars in some Standard Model extensions can easily make the EWPT strongly first order. In this work, we will examine the strength of the EWPT in the simplest extension of the SM with a real gauge singlet using the sphaleron energy at the critical temperature. We find that the phase transition is stronger by adding a singlet; and also that the criterion for a strong phase transition Ω(T c )/T c >or similar 1, where Ω = (v 2 + (x - x 0 ) 2 ) ( 1)/(2) and x(x 0 ) is the singlet vacuum expectation value in the broken (symmetric) phase, is not valid for models containing singlets, even though often used in the literature. The usual condition v c /T c >or similar 1 is more meaningful, and it is satisfied for the major part of the parameter space for physically allowed Higgs masses. Then it is convenient to study the EWPT in models with singlets that couple only to the Higgs doublets, by replacing the singlets by their vevs. (orig.)

Do phase transitions survive binomial reducibility and thermal scaling?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moretto, L.G.; Phair, L.; Wozniak, G.J.

1996-05-01

First order phase transitions are described in terms of the microcanonical and canonical ensemble, with special attention to finite size effects. Difficulties in interpreting a `caloric curve` are discussed. A robust parameter indicating phase coexistence (univariance) or single phase (bivariance) is extracted for charge distributions. 9 refs., 4 figs.

Probing emergent geometry through phase transitions in free vector and matrix models

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Amado, Irene; Sundborg, Bo [The Oskar Klein Centre for Cosmoparticle Physics, Department of Physics, Stockholm University,AlbaNova, 106 91 Stockholm (Sweden); Thorlacius, Larus [The Oskar Klein Centre for Cosmoparticle Physics, Department of Physics, Stockholm University,AlbaNova, 106 91 Stockholm (Sweden); Science Institute, University of Iceland, Dunhaga 3, 107 Reykjavik (Iceland); Wintergerst, Nico [The Oskar Klein Centre for Cosmoparticle Physics, Department of Physics, Stockholm University,AlbaNova, 106 91 Stockholm (Sweden)

2017-02-01

Boundary correlation functions provide insight into the emergence of an effective geometry in higher spin gravity duals of O(N) or U(N) symmetric field theories. On a compact manifold, the singlet constraint leads to nontrivial dynamics at finite temperature and large N phase transitions even at vanishing ’t Hooft coupling. At low temperature, the leading behavior of boundary two-point functions is consistent with propagation through a bulk thermal anti de Sitter space. Above the phase transition, the two-point function shows significant departure from thermal AdS space and the emergence of localized black hole like objects in the bulk. In adjoint models, these objects appear at length scales of order of the AdS radius, consistent with a Hawking-Page transition, but in vector models they are parametrically larger than the AdS scale. In low dimensions, we find another crossover at large distances beyond which the correlation function again takes a thermal AdS form, albeit with a temperature dependent normalization factor.

Critical behavior and phase transition of dilaton black holes with nonlinear electrodynamics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dayyani, Z.; Dehghani, M.H.; Hajkhalili, S. [Shiraz University, Physics Department and Biruni Observatory, College of Sciences, Shiraz (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Sheykhi, A. [Shiraz University, Physics Department and Biruni Observatory, College of Sciences, Shiraz (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Research Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics of Maragha (RIAAM), Maragha (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2018-02-15

In this paper, we take into account the dilaton black hole solutions of Einstein gravity in the presence of logarithmic and exponential forms of nonlinear electrodynamics. First of all, we consider the cosmological constant and nonlinear parameter as thermodynamic quantities which can vary. We obtain thermodynamic quantities of the system such as pressure, temperature and Gibbs free energy in an extended phase space. We complete the analogy of the nonlinear dilaton black holes with the Van der Waals liquid-gas system. We work in the canonical ensemble and hence we treat the charge of the black hole as an external fixed parameter. Moreover, we calculate the critical values of temperature, volume and pressure and show that they depend on the dilaton coupling constant as well as on the nonlinear parameter. We also investigate the critical exponents and find that they are universal and independent of the dilaton and nonlinear parameters, which is an expected result. Finally, we explore the phase transition of nonlinear dilaton black holes by studying the Gibbs free energy of the system. We find that in the case of T > T{sub c}, we have no phase transition. When T = T{sub c}, the system admits a second-order phase transition, while for T = T{sub f} < T{sub c} the system experiences a first-order transition. Interestingly, for T{sub f} < T < T{sub c} we observe a zeroth-order phase transition in the presence of a dilaton field. This novel zeroth-order phase transition occurs due to a finite jump in the Gibbs free energy which is generated by the dilaton-electromagnetic coupling constant, α, for a certain range of pressure. (orig.)

Fluctuation effects in first-order phase transitions: Theory and model for martensitic transformations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lindgård, Per-Anker; Mouritsen, Ole G.

1990-01-01

We discuss central questions in weak, first-order structural transitions by means of a magnetic analog model. A theory including fluctuation effects is developed for the model, showing a dynamical response with softening, fading modes and a growing central peak. The model is also analyzed by a two......-dimensional Monte Carlo simulation, showing clear precursor phenomena near the first-order transition and spontaneous nucleation. The kinetics of the domain growth is studied and found to be exceedingly slow. The results are applicable for martensitic transformations and structural surface...

Wetting transitions: First order or second order

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teletzke, G.F.; Scriven, L.E.; Davis, H.T.

1982-01-01

A generalization of Sullivan's recently proposed theory of the equilibrium contact angle, the angle at which a fluid interface meets a solid surface, is investigated. The generalized theory admits either a first-order or second-order transition from a nonzero contact angle to perfect wetting as a critical point is approached, in contrast to Sullivan's original theory, which predicts only a second-order transition. The predictions of this computationally convenient theory are in qualitative agreement with a more rigorous theory to be presented in a future publication

Continuous Easy-Plane Deconfined Phase Transition on the Kagome Lattice

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xue-Feng; He, Yin-Chen; Eggert, Sebastian; Moessner, Roderich; Pollmann, Frank

2018-03-01

We use large scale quantum Monte Carlo simulations to study an extended Hubbard model of hard core bosons on the kagome lattice. In the limit of strong nearest-neighbor interactions at 1 /3 filling, the interplay between frustration and quantum fluctuations leads to a valence bond solid ground state. The system undergoes a quantum phase transition to a superfluid phase as the interaction strength is decreased. It is still under debate whether the transition is weakly first order or represents an unconventional continuous phase transition. We present a theory in terms of an easy plane noncompact C P1 gauge theory describing the phase transition at 1 /3 filling. Utilizing large scale quantum Monte Carlo simulations with parallel tempering in the canonical ensemble up to 15552 spins, we provide evidence that the phase transition is continuous at exactly 1 /3 filling. A careful finite size scaling analysis reveals an unconventional scaling behavior hinting at deconfined quantum criticality.

Gravitational waves and Higgs boson couplings for exploring first order phase transition in the model with a singlet scalar field

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hashino, Katsuya, E-mail: hashino@jodo.sci.u-toyama.ac.jp [Department of Physics, University of Toyama, 3190 Gofuku, Toyama 930-8555 (Japan); Kakizaki, Mitsuru, E-mail: kakizaki@sci.u-toyama.ac.jp [Department of Physics, University of Toyama, 3190 Gofuku, Toyama 930-8555 (Japan); Kanemura, Shinya, E-mail: kanemu@sci.u-toyama.ac.jp [Department of Physics, University of Toyama, 3190 Gofuku, Toyama 930-8555 (Japan); Ko, Pyungwon, E-mail: pko@kias.re.kr [School of Physics, KIAS, Seoul 02455 (Korea, Republic of); Matsui, Toshinori, E-mail: matsui@kias.re.kr [School of Physics, KIAS, Seoul 02455 (Korea, Republic of)

2017-03-10

We calculate the spectrum of gravitational waves originated from strongly first order electroweak phase transition in the extended Higgs model with a real singlet scalar field. In order to calculate the bubble nucleation rate, we perform a two-field analysis and evaluate bounce solutions connecting the true and the false vacua using the one-loop effective potential at finite temperatures. Imposing the Sakharov condition of the departure from thermal equilibrium for baryogenesis, we survey allowed regions of parameters of the model. We then investigate the gravitational waves produced at electroweak bubble collisions in the early Universe, such as the sound wave, the bubble wall collision and the plasma turbulence. We find that the strength at the peak frequency can be large enough to be detected at future space-based gravitational interferometers such as eLISA, DECIGO and BBO. Predicted deviations in the various Higgs boson couplings are also evaluated at the zero temperature, and are shown to be large enough too. Therefore, in this model strongly first order electroweak phase transition can be tested by the combination of the precision study of various Higgs boson couplings at the LHC, the measurement of the triple Higgs boson coupling at future lepton colliders and the shape of the spectrum of gravitational wave detectable at future gravitational interferometers.

Effect of ionic size on the orbital ordering transition in RMnO3+δ

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Maris, G.; Volotchaev, V.; Palstra, T.T.M.

2004-01-01

We present high-temperature powder x-ray diffraction data of the orbital-order-induced structural distortion of RMnO3, with R a rare earth element. The associated phase transition takes place in a temperature interval of ≈200K in which the orbitally ordered phase and the orbitally disordered phase

Higher order correlations in computed particle distributions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanerfeld, H.; Herrmannsfeldt, W.; Miller, R.H.

1989-03-01

The rms emittances calculated for beam distributions using computer simulations are frequently dominated by higher order aberrations. Thus there are substantial open areas in the phase space plots. It has long been observed that the rms emittance is not an invariant to beam manipulations. The usual emittance calculation removes the correlation between transverse displacement and transverse momentum. In this paper, we explore the possibility of defining higher order correlations that can be removed from the distribution to result in a lower limit to the realizable emittance. The intent is that by inserting the correct combinations of linear lenses at the proper position, the beam may recombine in a way that cancels the effects of some higher order forces. An example might be the non-linear transverse space charge forces which cause a beam to spread. If the beam is then refocused so that the same non-linear forces reverse the inward velocities, the resulting phase space distribution may reasonably approximate the original distribution. The approach to finding the location and strength of the proper lens to optimize the transported beam is based on work by Bruce Carlsten of Los Alamos National Laboratory. 11 refs., 4 figs

Temperature-dependent vibrational spectroscopy to study order-disorder transitions in charge transfer complexes

Science.gov (United States)

Isaac, Rohan; Goetz, Katelyn P.; Roberts, Drew; Jurchescu, Oana D.; McNeil, L. E.

2018-02-01

Charge-transfer (CT) complexes are a promising class of materials for the semiconductor industry because of their versatile properties. This class of compounds shows a variety of phase transitions, which are of interest because of their potential impact on the electronic characteristics. Here temperature-dependent vibrational spectroscopy is used to study structural phase transitions in a set of organic CT complexes. Splitting and broadening of infrared-active phonons in the complex formed between pyrene and pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) confirm the structural transition is of the order-disorder type and complement previous x-ray diffraction (XRD) results. We show that this technique is a powerful tool to characterize transitions, and apply it to a range of binary CT complexes composed of polyaromatic hyrdocarbons (anthracene, perylene, phenanthrene, pyrene, and stilbene) and PMDA. We extend the understanding of transitions in perylene-PMDA and pyrene-PMDA, and show that there are no order-disorder transitions present in anthracene-PMDA, stilbene-PMDA and phenanthrene-PMDA in the temperature range investigated here.

Reconstructive structural phase transitions in dense Mg

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yao Yansun; Klug, Dennis D

2012-01-01

The question raised recently about whether the high-pressure phase transitions of Mg follow a hexagonal close-packed (hcp) → body centered cubic (bcc) or hcp → double hexagonal close-packed (dhcp) → bcc sequence at room temperature is examined by the use of first principles density functional methods. Enthalpy calculations show that the bcc structure replaces the hcp structure to become the most stable structure near 48 GPa, whereas the dhcp structure is never the most stable structure in the pressure range of interest. The characterized phase-transition mechanisms indicate that the hcp → dhcp transition is also associated with a higher enthalpy barrier. At room temperature, the structural sequence hcp → bcc is therefore more energetically favorable for Mg. The same conclusion is also reached from the simulations of the phase transitions using metadynamics methods. At room temperature, the metadynamics simulations predict the onset of a hcp → bcc transition at 40 GPa and the transition becomes more prominent upon further compression. At high temperatures, the metadynamics simulations reveal a structural fluctuation among the hcp, dhcp, and bcc structures at 15 GPa. With increasing pressure, the structural evolution at high temperatures becomes more unambiguous and eventually settles to a bcc structure once sufficient pressure is applied. (paper)

Experimental investigation of coupling between widely spaced modes of a beam using higher-order spectra

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, K.A.

2001-01-01

Experimental studies related to a thin isotropic steel beam are presented. The beam was harmonically excited along its axis creating a situation of parametric excitation. A possible two-to-one internal resonance was considered between the third and fourth modes of the beam with an external resonance of its fourth mode. The coupling phenomenon responsible for transfer of energy from high frequency modes to a widely spaced low frequency mode was studied by using conventional tools and higher-order spectra (third-order spectrum (bispectrum) and fourth-order spectrum (trispectrum)). Pointwise dimensions of the attractors were examined to ascertain their chaotic character. The potential of higher-order spectra in detecting the quadratic and cubic phase couplings among the participating modes during bifurcations, periodically modulated motions, and chaotically modulated motions was also examined. The experimental results are provided in the form of power spectra, fractal dimensions, bispectra, bicoherence spectra, and trispectrum. Experimental observations of transitions from periodic to periodically modulated to chaotically-modulated motions are also presented. (author)

Synchrotron X-ray diffraction studies of phase transitions in physisorbed monolayers of rare gases on graphite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bohr, J.

1984-01-01

This study is an investigation of phase transition in monoatomic layers adsorbed on graphite. Such effects can be considered physical realizations of two-dimensional systems. The experimental technique used is synchrotron X-ray diffraction. Systems which have been investigated include the commensurate-incommensurate phase transition in krypton monolayer. By adjusting the spreading pressure in the krypton layer by means of a coadsorbent deuterium gas it has been unambiguously demonstrated that at low temperatures the phase transition is of first order. A melting study of incommensurate argon monolayers demonstrates an experimental verification of the possibility for having a continuous melting transition in two-dimensions. Mixtures of two-components have been investigated for their phases. No (chemical) order-disorder transition is seen. A discussion is given on this lack of a chemical order. This lack is utilized to study the commensurate-incommensurate phase transition driven by average particle size. Finally, a special low-temperature phase is identified in a xenon monlayer which is diluted with freon. (Auth.)

Structural phase transitions in BaMo6S8: Evidence for an incommensurate phase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jorgensen, J.D.; Hinks, D.G.; Hatch, D.M.; Putnam, R.M.

1986-01-01

The structure of BaMo 6 S 8 has been studied over the temperature range 19 K to 573 K by time-of-flight neutron powder diffraction. Below 175 K the data can be suitably refined in a triclinic, P1, cell with volume equal to the rhombohedral, R3, cell common to most Chevrel-phase structures. At temperatures immediately above 175 K, the rhombohedral, R3, Bragg peaks are broadened by satellite reflections which appear to be identical to those recently observed at low temperature in PbMo 6 S 8 and SnMo 6 S 8 . An abrupt change in the sign of the temperature dependence of the hexagonal c axis (∂c/∂T) signals the transition to an undistorted rhombohedral, R3, structure at temperatures above about 350 K. An extended Landau theory determines both continuous and discontinuous transitions from R3 induced by a single order parameter. Analysis of the order parameters inducing commensurate transitions imposes symmetry restrictions on the atomic displacements in the lower symmetry phases. The assumption of an R3 commensurate phase is not consistent with the bond lengths obtained for the distortions to the P1 (or P1) phase for any of the possible cells preserving order parameters. Thus the phase immediately above 175 K cannot be a commensurate R3 structure. This is consistent with experimental evidence. 25 refs., 11 figs., 8 tabs

Displacive phase transition at the 5/3 monolayer of Pb on Ge(001)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cvetko, D.; Ratto, F.; Cossaro, A.; Floreano, L.; Bavdek, G.; Morgante, A.

2005-01-01

At a coverage of 5/3 monolayer (ML), Pb adsorbed on Ge(001) forms a ground phase displaying a ((2 1/0 6)) symmetry. This phase undergoes two reversible phase transitions ((2 1/0 6))↔((2 1/0 3))↔(2x1) at the critical temperatures T c 1 ∼178 K and T c 2 ∼375 K, respectively. We investigated the behavior of the relevant order parameters at the critical temperatures by means of He and in-plane x-ray diffraction (HAS and XRD, respectively). Both phase transitions at the critical temperature put in evidence a clear order-disorder behavior, in agreement with the universality class expected for the corresponding symmetry group transformation. The low-temperature transition yields the critical exponent of the two-dimensional (2-D) Ising universality class, whereas the three-state Potts' critical exponents are found for the high-temperature transition. By out-of-plane XRD measurements, the low-temperature phase transition is observed to be accompanied by a static surface distortion at room temperature. A complementary HAS study of the temperature evolution of the surface charge corrugation reveals that the complete ((2 1/0 6))↔((2 1/0 3)) transition is of the displacive type. On the contrary, the high-temperature phase transition does not show any change of the surface corrugation up to its irreversible decomposition, thus pointing to a pure order-disorder character

A phase transition between small- and large-field models of inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Itzhaki, Nissan; Kovetz, Ely D

2009-01-01

We show that models of inflection point inflation exhibit a phase transition from a region in parameter space where they are of large-field type to a region where they are of small-field type. The phase transition is between a universal behavior, with respect to the initial condition, at the large-field region and non-universal behavior at the small-field region. The order parameter is the number of e-foldings. We find integer critical exponents at the transition between the two phases.

Buckling Transitions and Clock Order of Two-Dimensional Coulomb Crystals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Podolsky

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Crystals of repulsively interacting ions in planar traps form hexagonal lattices, which undergo a buckling instability towards a multilayer structure as the transverse trap frequency is reduced. Numerical and experimental results indicate that the new structure is composed of three planes, whose separation increases continuously from zero. We study the effects of thermal and quantum fluctuations by mapping this structural instability to the six-state clock model. A prominent implication of this mapping is that at finite temperature, fluctuations split the buckling instability into two thermal transitions, accompanied by the appearance of an intermediate critical phase. This phase is characterized by quasi-long-range order in the spatial tripartite pattern. It is manifested by broadened Bragg peaks at new wave vectors, whose line shape provides a direct measurement of the temperature-dependent exponent η(T characteristic of the power-law correlations in the critical phase. A quantum phase transition is found at the largest value of the critical transverse frequency: Here, the critical intermediate phase shrinks to zero. Moreover, within the ordered phase, we predict a crossover from classical to quantum behavior, signifying the emergence of an additional characteristic scale for clock order. We discuss experimental realizations with trapped ions and polarized dipolar gases, and propose that within accessible technology, such experiments can provide a direct probe of the rich phase diagram of the quantum clock model, not easily observable in condensed matter analogues. Therefore, this work highlights the potential for ionic and dipolar systems to serve as simulators for complex models in statistical mechanics and condensed matter physics.

Optical study of phase transitions in single-crystalline RuP

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, R. Y.; Shi, Y. G.; Zheng, P.; Wang, L.; Dong, T.; Wang, N. L.

2015-03-01

RuP single crystals of MnP-type orthorhombic structure were synthesized by the Sn flux method. Temperature-dependent x-ray diffraction measurements reveal that the compound experiences two structural phase transitions, which are further confirmed by enormous anomalies shown in temperature-dependent resistivity and magnetic susceptibility. Particularly, the resistivity drops monotonically upon temperature cooling below the second transition, indicating that the material shows metallic behavior, in sharp contrast with the insulating ground state of polycrystalline samples. Optical conductivity measurements were also performed in order to unravel the mechanism of these two transitions. The measurement revealed a sudden reconstruction of band structure over a broad energy scale and a significant removal of conducting carriers below the first phase transition, while a charge-density-wave-like energy gap opens below the second phase transition.

Characterization of Phase Transition in Heisenberg Fluids from Density Functional Theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Liangsheng; Li Li; Chen Xiaosong

2009-01-01

The phase transition of Heisenberg fluid has been investigated with the density functional theory in mean-field approximation (MF). The matrix of the second derivatives of the grand canonical potential Ω with respect to the particle density fluctuations and the magnetization fluctuations has been investigated and diagonalized. The smallest eigenvalue being 0 signalizes the phase instability and the related eigenvector characterizes this phase transition. We find a Curie line where the order parameter is pure magnetization and a spinodal where the order parameter is a mixture of particle density and magnetization. Along the spinodal, the character of phase instability changes continuously from predominant condensation to predominant ferromagnetic phase transition with the decrease of total density. The spinodal meets the Curie line at the critical endpoint with the reduced density ρ* = ρσ 3 = 0.224 and the reduced temperature T* = kT/ element of = 1.87 (σ is the diameter of Heisenberg hard sphere and element of is the coupling constant).

Li-ion batteries: Phase transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hou Peiyu; Zhang Yantao; Zhang Lianqi; Chu Geng; Gao Jian

2016-01-01

Progress in the research on phase transitions during Li + extraction/insertion processes in typical battery materials is summarized as examples to illustrate the significance of understanding phase transition phenomena in Li-ion batteries. Physical phenomena such as phase transitions (and resultant phase diagrams) are often observed in Li-ion battery research and already play an important role in promoting Li-ion battery technology. For example, the phase transitions during Li + insertion/extraction are highly relevant to the thermodynamics and kinetics of Li-ion batteries, and even physical characteristics such as specific energy, power density, volume variation, and safety-related properties. (topical review)

New numerical method to study phase transitions and its applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Jooyoung; Kosterlitz, J.M.

1991-11-01

We present a powerful method of identifying the nature of transitions by numerical simulation of finite systems. By studying the finite size scaling properties of free energy barrier between competing states, we can identify unambiguously a weak first order transition even when accessible system sizes are L/ξ < 0.05 as in the five state Potts model in two dimensions. When studying a continuous phase transition we obtain quite accurate estimates of critical exponents by treating it as a field driven first order transition. The method has been successfully applied to various systems

Ferroelastoelectric phase transition in (NH4)2CuCl4·2H2O single crystal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tylczyński, Zbigniew; Wiesner, Maciej

2015-01-01

The (NH 4 ) 2 CuCl 4 ·2H 2 O crystal exhibits anomalous thermal, piezoelectric, dielectric and elastic properties in the vicinity of the ferroelastoelectric phase transition at T C  = 200 K. Macroscopic order parameter is the h 36 component of the spontaneous piezoelectric tensor connecting polarisation P 3 and strain η 6 . The temperature change in h 36 component was proportional to (T C  − T) α , where α = 0.58 ± 0.05. Close to T C changes in dielectric permittivity were negligible. High value of ac conductivity in the high-temperature phase results from protons jumping between disordered ions NH 4 + and between molecules of crystallisation water. Only longitudinal ultrasonic waves exhibited an abrupt change upon the phase transition. The relaxation time of the order parameter was determined from anomalous changes in attenuation of the longitudinal waves. - Highlights: • Low-temperature phase shows higher-order ferroicity: ferroelastoelectricity. • Temperature change of spontaneous piezoelectricity was studied in the ordered phase. • Dispersion of complex dielectric constant was investigated in wide temperature range. • At high-temperature phase ac conductivity is caused by proton jumps. • Anomalies of ultrasonic waves at T C were analysed using phenomenological theory

The Higgs vacuum uplifted. Revisiting the electroweak phase transition with a second Higgs doublet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dorsch, G.C. [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany); Huber, S.J. [Sussex Univ., Brighton (United Kingdom). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy; Mimasu, K. [Sussex Univ., Brighton (United Kingdom). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy; Louvain Univ. Catholique, Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium). Center for Cosmology, Particle Physics and Phenomenology; No, J.M. [King' s College, London (United Kingdom). Dept. of Physics; Sussex Univ., Brighton (United Kingdom). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy

2017-05-25

The existence of a second Higgs doublet in Nature could lead to a cosmological first order electroweak phase transition and explain the origin of the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the Universe. We explore the parameter space of such a two-Higgs-doublet-model and show that a first order electroweak phase transition strongly correlates with a significant uplifting of the Higgs vacuum w.r.t. its Standard Model value. We then obtain the spectrum and properties of the new scalars H{sub 0}, A{sub 0} and H{sup ±} that signal such a phase transition, showing that the decay A{sub 0}→H{sub 0}Z at the LHC and a sizable deviation in the Higgs self-coupling λ{sub hhh} from its SM value are sensitive indicators of a strongly first order electroweak phase transition in the 2HDM.

Neutron and x-ray scattering studies of ferroelectric phase transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dolling, G.

1982-08-01

The subject of ferroelectric type phase transitions is introduced by means of examples of two main classes (a) displacive transitions, e.g. KNbO 3 , and (b) order-disorder transitions, e.g. NaNO 2 . The significance of crystal structure and crystal dynamics (i.e. the phonon dispersion relations) for ferroelectric behaviour is emphasized. The chief methods for structure determination are x-ray and neutron diffraction, while the most powerful of all techniques for studying phonon properties is that of coherent inelastic neutron scattering. The most useful type of neutron spectrometer for phase transition studies, the triple axis crystal spectrometer, is discussed in detail. The history of the soft mode theory of displacive phase transitions, and its application to the antiferroelectric and 'almost ferroelectric' transitions in SrTiO 3 , provides an introduction to more recent developments in this area, including over-damped soft modes, central peaks and critical scattering, incommensurate phase transitions (e.g. K 2 SeO 4 ), amplitudons, phasons and finally solitions. The treatment throughout is descriptive and introductory, designed for graduate students

Electric field driven orbital order-disorder transition in LaMnO3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhattacharya, Dipten

2012-01-01

The external stimulation such as mechanical pressure magnetic field, electric field, and optical pulse driven phase transition and concomitant gigantic response in physical properties in terms of orders of magnitude jump in electrical resistivity, magnetization, thermoelectric power, or optical constants etc in strongly correlated electron systems has fascinated the researchers for more than two decades now. The underlying physics is nontrivial and the application potential is enormous. We report here our observation of pulsed electric field driven orbital order-disorder transition in canonical orbital ordered system LaMnO 3 . The LaMnO 3 , with orthorhombic crystallographic structure (space group Pbnm), possesses A-type magnetic order below T N (∼ 140 K) and C-type orbital order, with ordering of active 3d 3x 2 -r 2 /3d 3y 2 -r 2 orbitals within a plane and stacking across the plane, below Too (∼ 750 K). We have studied the electrical current-voltage characteristics as well as the differential thermal scans across a wide temperature range 80-800 K under pulsed field on a high quality single crystal of LaMnO 3 . We show how under pulsed electric field, T00 shifts towards lower temperature and the latent heat of the transition decreases monotonically. We also show that the electrical resistivity jumps by more than five orders of magnitude beyond a threshold electric field a low temperature (∼ 80 K). The field driven transition turns out to be originating electro-migration of lattice defects and consequent depinning of orbital domains. The orbital order in LaMnO 3 is not a continuum. It is granular because of interaction with lattice strain, defects, or even interference between Jahn-Teller and MnO 6 tilt order. The domains are pinned by the defects. The electric field driven migration leads to depinning transition. The model of depinning of charge density waves appears to be fitting the data observed in the present case closely, since the orbital order in La

The phase transition in the SU(5) model at high temperatures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daniel, M.; Vayonakis, C.E.

1981-01-01

Within the minimum GUT model we have studied the nature of the fluctuation-induced transition between the SU(5) and the SU(3)sub(c) x SU(2) x U(1) phase which occurs at high temperatures. Our analysis is limited to the case when the phase transition occurs outside the critical (fluctuation-dominated) region. For this to happen the SU(5) model has to be in a mode analogous to the type I superconductor. This corresponds to having the scalar quartic couplings in the Higgs sector less than the squared gauge coupling. For generic values of the coupling constants the phase transition is found to be weakly first order. As we approach the boundaries for the region of the SU(3)sub(c) x SU(2) x U(1) phase, however, a strong first-order transition occurs. The SU(5) mode (analogous to the type II superconductor) when the phase transition occurs inside the fluctuation-dominated region has been recently studied by Ginsparg. His results together with ours show that there is a continuous merging of the type I mode into the type II mode. Finally our analysis elucidates some aspects of the monopole problem in grand unified theories. (orig.)

Quantum phase transition in strongly correlated many-body system

Science.gov (United States)

You, Wenlong

The past decade has seen a substantial rejuvenation of interest in the study of quantum phase transitions (QPTs), driven by experimental advance on the cuprate superconductors, the heavy fermion materials, organic conductors, Quantum Hall effect, Fe-As based superconductors and other related compounds. It is clear that strong electronic interactions play a crucial role in the systems of current interest, and simple paradigms for the behavior of such systems near quantum critical points remain unclear. Furthermore, the rapid progress in Feshbach resonance and optical lattice provides a flexible platform to study QPT. Quantum Phase Transition (QPT) describes the non-analytic behaviors of the ground-state properties in a many-body system by varying a physical parameter at absolute zero temperature - such as magnetic field or pressure, driven by quantum fluctuations. Such quantum phase transitions can be first-order phase transition or continuous. The phase transition is usually accompanied by a qualitative change in the nature of the correlations in the ground state, and describing this change shall clearly be one of our major interests. We address this issue from three prospects in a few strong correlated many-body systems in this thesis, i.e., identifying the ordered phases, studying the properties of different phases, characterizing the QPT points. In chapter 1, we give an introduction to QPT, and take one-dimensional XXZ model as an example to illustrate the QPT therein. Through this simple example, we would show that when the tunable parameter is varied, the system evolves into different phases, across two quantum QPT points. The distinct phases exhibit very different behaviors. Also a schematic phase diagram is appended. In chapter 2, we are engaged in research on ordered phases. Originating in the work of Landau and Ginzburg on second-order phase transition, the spontaneous symmetry breaking induces nonzero expectation of field operator, e.g., magnetization M

Spin-Hall effect and emergent antiferromagnetic phase transition in n-Si

Science.gov (United States)

Lou, Paul C.; Kumar, Sandeep

2018-04-01

Spin current experiences minimal dephasing and scattering in Si due to small spin-orbit coupling and spin-lattice interactions is the primary source of spin relaxation. We hypothesize that if the specimen dimension is of the same order as the spin diffusion length then spin polarization will lead to non-equilibrium spin accumulation and emergent phase transition. In n-Si, spin diffusion length has been reported up to 6 μm. The spin accumulation in Si will modify the thermal transport behavior of Si, which can be detected with thermal characterization. In this study, we report observation of spin-Hall effect and emergent antiferromagnetic phase transition behavior using magneto-electro-thermal transport characterization. The freestanding Pd (1 nm)/Ni80Fe20 (75 nm)/MgO (1 nm)/n-Si (2 μm) thin film specimen exhibits a magnetic field dependent thermal transport and spin-Hall magnetoresistance behavior attributed to Rashba effect. An emergent phase transition is discovered using self-heating 3ω method, which shows a diverging behavior at 270 K as a function of temperature similar to a second order phase transition. We propose that spin-Hall effect leads to the spin accumulation and resulting emergent antiferromagnetic phase transition. We propose that the length scale for Rashba effect can be equal to the spin diffusion length and two-dimensional electron gas is not essential for it. The emergent antiferromagnetic phase transition is attributed to the site inversion asymmetry in diamond cubic Si lattice.

Contribution to the investigation of phase transitions induced by irradiation in insulating crystalline ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simeone, D.

2003-01-01

The author gives a rather detailed overview of his research activities on the behaviour of ceramics subjected to irradiations by charged or not-charged particles. He reports the development of a new application of low incidence X ray diffraction to assess the evolutions within irradiated solids. Coupling this technique with Raman spectroscopy studies enabled the monitoring of order parameter evolution in these solids. He shows that, in some oxides, irradiation effects entail order-disorder type transitions and, more surprisingly, displacive phase transitions. From this experimental work, he developed a modelling of these phase transitions induced by irradiation. Quantitative data obtained on the evolutions of order parameters enabled these phase transitions to be explained within the frame of the thermodynamics of off-equilibrium phenomena

Holographic entanglement entropy close to crossover/phase transition in strongly coupled systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Shao-Jun, E-mail: sjzhang84@hotmail.com

2017-03-15

We investigate the behavior of entanglement entropy in the holographic QCD model proposed by Gubser et al. By choosing suitable parameters of the scalar self-interaction potential, this model can exhibit various types of phase structures: crossover, first order and second order phase transitions. We use entanglement entropy to probe the crossover/phase transition, and find that it drops quickly/suddenly when the temperature approaches the critical point which can be seen as a signal of confinement. Moreover, the critical behavior of the entanglement entropy suggests that we may use it to characterize the corresponding phase structures.

Non-equilibrium phase transitions

CERN Document Server

Henkel, Malte; Lübeck, Sven

2009-01-01

This book describes two main classes of non-equilibrium phase-transitions: (a) static and dynamics of transitions into an absorbing state, and (b) dynamical scaling in far-from-equilibrium relaxation behaviour and ageing. The first volume begins with an introductory chapter which recalls the main concepts of phase-transitions, set for the convenience of the reader in an equilibrium context. The extension to non-equilibrium systems is made by using directed percolation as the main paradigm of absorbing phase transitions and in view of the richness of the known results an entire chapter is devoted to it, including a discussion of recent experimental results. Scaling theories and a large set of both numerical and analytical methods for the study of non-equilibrium phase transitions are thoroughly discussed. The techniques used for directed percolation are then extended to other universality classes and many important results on model parameters are provided for easy reference.

Quantum phase transitions between a class of symmetry protected topological states

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tsui, Lokman; Jiang, Hong-Chen; Lu, Yuan-Ming; Lee, Dung-Hai

2015-07-01

The subject of this paper is the phase transition between symmetry protected topological states (SPTs). We consider spatial dimension d and symmetry group G so that the cohomology group, Hd+1(G,U(1)), contains at least one Z2n or Z factor. We show that the phase transition between the trivial SPT and the root states that generate the Z2n or Z groups can be induced on the boundary of a (d+1)-dimensional View the MathML source-symmetric SPT by a View the MathML source symmetry breaking field. Moreover we show these boundary phase transitions can be “transplanted” to d dimensions and realized in lattice models as a function of a tuning parameter. The price one pays is for the critical value of the tuning parameter there is an extra non-local (duality-like) symmetry. In the case where the phase transition is continuous, our theory predicts the presence of unusual (sometimes fractionalized) excitations corresponding to delocalized boundary excitations of the non-trivial SPT on one side of the transition. This theory also predicts other phase transition scenarios including first order transition and transition via an intermediate symmetry breaking phase.

Phase transitions in Fe_0_._5Co_0_._5 (110) thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramírez-Dámaso, G.; Castillo-Alvarado, F.L.; Rojas-Hernández, E.

2016-01-01

In this paper, we present calculations for two second-order phase transitions in (110) Fe_0_._5Co_0_._5 thin films with 11, 15, and 19 monoatomic layers. The lattice and magnetic transitions are based on thermodynamic equilibrium considerations of the magnetic alloy. The procedure proposed by Valenta and Sukiennicki was applied to calculate the composition x(i), the lattice order parameter t(i), and the magnetic order parameter σ(i) as a function of temperature T. We confirmed that both phase transitions, lattice and magnetic, are of the second order, in accordance with experimental results in the literature. The obtained behavior of these parameters indicates their inhomogeneity due to the boundary conditions on the surfaces of the thin film.

A strong electroweak phase transition from the inflaton field

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tenkanen, Tommi; Tuominen, Kimmo [Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 64, FI-00014, Helsinki (Finland); Helsinki Institute of Physics, P.O. Box 64, FI-00014, Helsinki (Finland); Vaskonen, Ville [Helsinki Institute of Physics, P.O. Box 64, FI-00014, Helsinki (Finland); Department of Physics, University of Jyvaskyla, P.O.Box 35 (YFL), FI-40014 University of Jyvaskyla (Finland)

2016-09-22

We study a singlet scalar extension of the Standard Model. The singlet scalar is coupled non-minimally to gravity and assumed to drive inflation, and also couple sufficiently strongly with the SM Higgs field in order to provide for a strong first order electroweak phase transition. Requiring the model to describe inflation successfully, be compatible with the LHC data, and yield a strong first order electroweak phase transition, we identify the regions of the parameter space where the model is viable. We also include a singlet fermion with scalar coupling to the singlet scalar to probe the sensitivity of the constraints on additional degrees of freedom and their couplings in the singlet sector. We also comment on the general feasibility of these fields to act as dark matter.