The discrete Frenkel-Kontorova model and its extensions: I. Exact results for the ground-states

Abstract

We present a rigorous study of the classical ground-states under boundary conditions of a class of one-dimensional models generalizing the discrete Frenkel-Kontorova model. The extremalization equations of the energy of these models turn out to define area preserving twist maps which exhibits periodic, quasi-periodic and chaotic orbits. For all boundary conditions, we select among all the extremum solutions of the energy of the model, those which correspond to the ground-states of the infinite system. We prove that these ground-states are either periodic (commensurate) or quasi-periodic (incommensurate) but are never chaotic. We also prove the existence of elementary discommensurations which are minimum energy configuration of the model for certain special boundary conditions. The topological structure of the whole set of ground-states is described in details. In addition to physical applications, consequences for twist map homeomorphisms are mentioned. Part II (S. Aubry, P.Y. LeDaeron and G. Andre) will be mostly devoted to exact results on the transition by breaking of analyticity which occurs on the incommensurate ground states when the model parameters vary and on its connection with the stochasticity threshold in the corresponding twist map.