Zeros of partition functions in the NPT ensemble.

Abstract

Lee-Yang and Fisher zeros are crucial for the study of phase transitions in the grand canonical and the canonical ensembles, respectively. However, these powerful methods do not cover the isothermal-isobaric ensemble (NPT ensemble), which reflects the conditions of many experiments. In this work we present a theory of the phase transitions in terms of the zeros of the NPT-ensemble partition functions in the complex plane. The proposed theory provides an approach to calculate all the partition function zeros in the NPT ensemble, which form certain curves in the thermodynamic limit. To verify the theory we consider Tonks gas and van der Waals fluid in the NPT ensemble. In the case of Tonks gas, similarly to the Lee-Yang circle theorem, we obtain an exact equation for the zero limit curve. We also derive an approximated limit curve equation for van der Waals fluid in terms of the Szegö curve. This curve fits numerically calculated zeros and correctly describes how the phenomenon of phase transition depends on the temperature.