The critical equation of state of the three-dimensional [formula omitted] universality class: [formula omitted

Abstract

We determine the scaling equation of state of the three-dimensional O ( N ) universality class, for N = 5 , 6 , 32 , 64 . The N = 5 model is relevant for the SO ( 5 ) theory of high- T c superconductivity, while the N = 6 model is relevant for the chiral phase transition in two-color QCD with two flavors. We first obtain the critical exponents and the small-field, high-temperature, expansion of the effective potential (Helmholtz free energy) by analyzing the available perturbative series, in both fixed-dimension and ε-expansion schemes. Then, we determine the critical equation of state by using a systematic approximation scheme, based on polynomial representations valid in the whole critical region, which satisfy the known analytical properties of the equation of state, take into account the Goldstone singularities at the coexistence curve and match the small-field, high-temperature, expansion of the effective potential. This allows us also to determine several universal amplitude ratios. We also compare our approximate solutions with those obtained in the large- N expansion, up to order 1 / N , finding good agreement for N ≳ 32 .