Boundary Critical Behaviour Research Articles

Boundary logarithmic corrections to the dynamical correlation functions of one-dimensional spin- 12 chains

The asymptotic dynamical correlation functions in one-dimensional spin chains are described by power-laws. The corresponding exponents characterize different bulk and boundary critical behavior. We present novel results for the logarithmic contribution to the boundary correlations of an isotropic Heisenberg chain. The exponent of the logarithm, $\lambda=1$, is derived using a renormalization group technique. We confirm our analytical results by comparing with numerical quantum Monte Carlo data.

Fermions in AdS and Gross-Neveu BCFT

We study the boundary critical behavior of conformal field theories of interacting fermions in the Gross-Neveu universality class. By a Weyl transformation, the problem can be studied by placing the CFT in an anti de Sitter space background. After reviewing some aspects of free fermion theories in AdS, we use both large N methods and the epsilon expansion near 2 and 4 dimensions to study the conformal boundary conditions in the Gross-Neveu CFT. At large N and general dimension d, we find three distinct boundary conformal phases. Near four dimensions, where the CFT is described by the Wilson-Fisher fixed point of the Gross-Neveu-Yukawa model, two of these phases correspond respectively to the choice of Neumann or Dirichlet boundary condition on the scalar field, while the third one corresponds to the case where the bulk scalar field acquires a classical expectation value. One may flow between these boundary critical points by suitable relevant boundary deformations. We compute the AdS free energy on each of them, and verify that its value is consistent with the boundary version of the F-theorem. We also compute some of the BCFT observables in these theories, including bulk two-point functions of scalar and fermions, and four-point functions of boundary fermions.

Edge-state critical behavior of the integer quantum Hall transition

The integer quantum Hall effect features a paradigmatic quantum phase transition. Despite decades of work, experimental, numerical, and analytical studies have yet to agree on a unified understanding of the critical behavior. Based on a numerical Green function approach, we consider the quantum Hall transition in a microscopic model of non-interacting disordered electrons on a simple square lattice. In a strip geometry, topologically induced edge states extend along the system rim and undergo localization-delocalization transitions as function of energy. We investigate the boundary critical behavior in the lowest Landau band and compare it with a recent tight-binding approach to the bulk critical behavior [Phys. Rev. B 99, 121301(R) (2019)] as well as other recent studies of the quantum Hall transition with both open and periodic boundary conditions.

Topological and symmetry-enriched random quantum critical points

We study how symmetry can enrich strong-randomness quantum critical points and phases, and lead to robust topological edge modes coexisting with critical bulk fluctuations. These are the disordered analogues of gapless topological phases. Using real-space and density matrix renormalization group approaches, we analyze the boundary and bulk critical behavior of such symmetry-enriched random quantum spin chains. We uncover a new class of symmetry-enriched infinite randomness fixed points: while local bulk properties are indistinguishable from conventional random singlet phases, nonlocal observables and boundary critical behavior are controlled by a different renormalization group fixed point. We also illustrate how such new quantum critical points emerge naturally in Floquet systems.

Boundary Critical Behavior of the Three-Dimensional Heisenberg Universality Class.

We study the boundary critical behavior of the three-dimensional Heisenberg universality class, in the presence of a bidimensional surface. By means of high-precision MonteCarlo simulations of an improved lattice model, where leading bulk scaling corrections are suppressed, we prove the existence of a special phase transition, with unusual exponents, and of an extraordinary phase with logarithmically decaying correlations. These findings contrast with naïve arguments on the bulk-surface phase diagram, and allow us to explain some recent puzzling results on the boundary critical behavior of quantum spin models.

CFT in AdS and boundary RG flows

Using the fact that flat space with a boundary is related by a Weyl transformation to anti-de Sitter (AdS) space, one may study observables in boundary conformal field theory (BCFT) by placing a CFT in AdS. In addition to correlation functions of local operators, a quantity of interest is the free energy of the CFT computed on the AdS space with hyperbolic ball metric, i.e. with a spherical boundary. It is natural to expect that the AdS free energy can be used to define a quantity that decreases under boundary renormalization group flows. We test this idea by discussing in detail the case of the large N critical O(N) model in general dimension d, as well as its perturbative descriptions in the epsilon-expansion. Using the AdS approach, we recover the various known boundary critical behaviors of the model, and we compute the free energy for each boundary fixed point, finding results which are consistent with the conjectured F-theorem in a continuous range of dimensions. Finally, we also use the AdS setup to compute correlation functions and extract some of the BCFT data. In particular, we show that using the bulk equations of motion, in conjunction with crossing symmetry, gives an efficient way to constrain bulk two-point functions and extract anomalous dimensions of boundary operators.

Why boundary conditions do not generally determine the universality class for boundary critical behavior

Interacting field theories for systems with a free surface frequently exhibit distinct universality classes of boundary critical behaviors depending on gross surface properties. The boundary condition satisfied by the continuum field theory on some scale may or may not be decisive for the universality class that applies. In many recent papers on boundary field theories, it is taken for granted that Dirichlet or Neumann boundary conditions decide whether the ordinary or special boundary universality class is observed. While true in a certain sense for the Dirichlet boundary condition, this is not the case for the Neumann boundary condition. Building on results that have been worked out in the 1980s, but have not always been appropriately appreciated in the literature, the subtle role of boundary conditions and their scale dependence is elucidated and the question of whether or not they determine the observed boundary universality class is discussed.Graphical abstract

Boundary criticality of topological quantum phase transitions in two-dimensional systems

We discuss the boundary critical behaviors of two dimensional quantum phase transitions with fractionalized degrees of freedom in the bulk, motivated by the fact that usually it is the $1d$ boundary that is exposed and can be conveniently probed in many experimental platforms. In particular, we mainly discuss boundary criticality of two examples: i. the quantum phase transition between a $2d$ $Z_2$ topological order and an ordered phase with spontaneous symmetry breaking; ii. the continuous quantum phase transition between metal and a particular type of Mott insulator (U(1) spin liquid). This theoretical study could be relevant to many purely $2d$ systems, where recent experiments have found correlated insulator, superconductor, and metal in the same phase diagram.

Topological Luttinger liquids from decorated domain walls

We introduce a systematic construction of a gapless symmetry protected topological phase in one dimension by "decorating" the domain walls of Luttinger liquids. The resulting strongly interacting phases provide a concrete example of a gapless symmetry protected topological (gSPT) phase with robust symmetry-protected edge modes. Using boundary conformal field theory arguments, we show that while the bulks of such gSPT phases are identical to conventional Luttinger liquids, their boundary critical behavior is controlled by a different, strongly-coupled renormalization group fixed point. Our results are checked against extensive density matrix renormalization group calculations.

The O(n) ϕ4 model with free surfaces in the large-n limit: some exact results for boundary critical behaviour, fluctuation-induced forces and distant-wall corrections

The O(n) ϕ4 model on a slab bounded by free surfaces is studied for 2 < d < 4 in the limit n → ∞. The self-consistent potential V(z) which the exact n → ∞ solution of the model involves is analysed by means of boundary operator expansions. Building on the known exact n → ∞ solution for V(z) in the semi-infinite case L = ∞ at the bulk critical point, we exactly determine two types of corrections to this potential: (i) those linear in the temperature scaling field t at L = ∞, and (ii) the leading L-dependent (distant-wall) corrections at the critical point. From (i) exact analytical results at d = 3 are obtained for the leading temperature singularity of the excess surface free energy and the implied asymptotic behaviours of the scaling functions Θ3(x) and ϑ3(x) of the residual free energy fres = L1 − d Θd(tL) and the critical Casimir force in the limit x → 0 ±. The second derivative is computed exactly.

Exact Exponents for the Spin Quantum Hall Transition in the Presence of Multiple Edge Channels

Critical properties of quantum Hall systems are affected by the presence of extra edge channels-those that are present, in particular, at higher plateau transitions. We study this phenomenon for the case of the spin quantum Hall transition. Using supersymmetry, we map the corresponding network model to a classical loop model, whose boundary critical behavior was recently determined exactly. We verify predictions of the exact solution by extensive numerical simulations.

Bulk and boundary critical behaviour of thin and thick domain walls in the two-dimensionalPotts model

The geometrical critical behaviour of the two-dimensionalQ-state Potts model is usually studied in terms of the Fortuin–Kasteleyn (FK) clusters, ortheir surrounding loops. In this paper we study a quite different geometrical object: thespin clusters, defined as connected domains where the spin takes a constant value. Unlikethe usual loops, the domain walls separating different spin clusters can cross and branch.Moreover, they come in two versions, ‘thin’ or ‘thick’, depending on whether they separatespin clusters of different or identical colours. For these reasons their critical behaviour isdifferent from, and richer than, those of FK clusters. We develop a transfer matrixtechnique enabling the formulation and numerical study of spin clusters even whenQ is not an integer. We further identify geometrically the crossing events which give rise toconformal correlation functions. We study the critical behaviour both in the bulk,and at a boundary with free, fixed, or mixed boundary conditions. This leads toinfinite series of fundamental critical exponents, in the bulk and at the boundary, valid for 0 ≤ Q ≤ 4, that describe the insertion of thin and thick domain walls. We argue that these exponents imply that the domain walls are ‘thin’and ‘thick’ also in the continuum limit. A special case of the bulk exponents is derivedanalytically from a massless scattering approach.

Boundary critical behaviour atm-axial Lifshitz points of semi-infinite systems with a surface plane perpendicular to a modulation axis

Semi-infinite $d$-dimensional systems with an $m$-axial bulk Lifshitz point are considered whose ($d-1$)-dimensional surface hyper-plane is oriented perpendicular to one of the $m$ modulation axes. An $n$-component $\phi^4$ field theory describing the bulk and boundary critical behaviour when (i) the Hamiltonian can be taken to have O(n) symmetry and (ii) spatial anisotropies breaking its Euclidean symmetry in the $m$-dimensional coordinate subspace of potential modulation directions may be ignored is investigated. The long-distance behaviour at the ordinary surface transition is mapped onto a field theory with the boundary conditions that both the order parameter $\bm{\phi}$ and its normal derivative $\partial_n\bm{\phi}$ vanish at the surface plane. The boundary-operator expansion is utilized to study the short-distance behaviour of $\bm{\phi}$ near the surface. Its leading contribution is found to be controlled by the boundary operator $\partial_n^2\bm{\phi}$. The field theory is renormalized for dimensions $d$ below the upper critical dimension $d^*(m)=4+m/2$, with a corresponding surface source term $\propto \partial_n^2\bm{\phi}$ added. The anomalous dimension of this boundary operator is computed to first order in $\epsilon=d^*-d$. The result is used in conjunction with scaling laws to estimate the value of the single independent surface critical exponent $\beta_{\mathrm{L}1}^{(\mathrm{ord},\perp)}$ for $d=3$. Our estimate for the case $m=n=1$ of a uniaxial Lifshitz point in Ising systems is in reasonable agreement with published Monte Carlo results.

Surface Criticality and Multifractality at Localization Transitions

We develop the concept of surface multifractality for localization-delocalization (LD) transitions in disordered electronic systems. We point out that the critical behavior of various observables related to wave functions near a boundary at a LD transition is different from that in the bulk. We illustrate this point with a calculation of boundary critical and multifractal behavior at the 2D spin quantum Hall transition and in a 2D metal at scales below the localization length.

Boundary critical behaviour atm-axial Lifshitz points: the special transition for the case of a surface plane parallel to the modulation axes

The critical behaviour of $d$-dimensional semi-infinite systems with $n$-component order parameter $\bm{\phi}$ is studied at an $m$-axial bulk Lifshitz point whose wave-vector instability is isotropic in an $m$-dimensional subspace of $\mathbb{R}^d$. Field-theoretic renormalization group methods are utilised to examine the special surface transition in the case where the $m$ potential modulation axes, with $0\leq m\leq d-1$, are parallel to the surface. The resulting scaling laws for the surface critical indices are given. The surface critical exponent $\eta_\|^{\rm sp}$, the surface crossover exponent $\Phi$ and related ones are determined to first order in $\epsilon=4+\case{m}{2}-d$. Unlike the bulk critical exponents and the surface critical exponents of the ordinary transition, $\Phi$ is $m$-dependent already at first order in $\epsilon$. The $\Or(\epsilon)$ term of $\eta_\|^{\rm sp}$ is found to vanish, which implies that the difference of $\beta_1^{\rm sp}$ and the bulk exponent $\beta$ is of order $\epsilon^2$.

Bulk and boundary critical behavior at Lifshitz points

Lifshitz points are multicritical points at which a disordered phase, a homogeneous ordered phase, and a modulated ordered phase meet. Their bulk universality classes are described by natural generalizations of the standard $\phi^4$ model. Analyzing these models systematically via modern field-theoretic renormalization group methods has been a long-standing challenge ever since their introduction in the middle of the 1970s. We survey the recent progress made in this direction, discussing results obtained via dimensionality expansions, how they compare with Monte Carlo results, and open problems. These advances opened the way towards systematic studies of boundary critical behavior at $m$-axial Lifshitz points. The possible boundary critical behavior depends on whether the surface plane is perpendicular to one of the $m$ modulation axes or parallel to all of them. We show that the semi-infinite field theories representing the corresponding surface universality classes in these two cases of perpendicular and parallel surface orientation differ crucially in their Hamiltonian's boundary terms and the implied boundary conditions, and explain recent results along with our current understanding of this matter.

Boundary critical behavior atm-axial Lifshitz points for a boundary plane parallel to the modulation axes

The critical behavior of semi-infinite $d$-dimensional systems with $n$-component order parameter $\bm{\phi}$ and short-range interactions is investigated at an $m$-axial bulk Lifshitz point whose wave-vector instability is isotropic in an $m$-dimensional subspace of $\mathbb{R}^d$. The associated $m$ modulation axes are presumed to be parallel to the surface, where $0\le m\le d-1$. An appropriate semi-infinite $|\bm{\phi}|^4$ model representing the corresponding universality classes of surface critical behavior is introduced. It is shown that the usual O(n) symmetric boundary term $\propto \bm{\phi}^2$ of the Hamiltonian must be supplemented by one of the form $\mathring{\lambda} \sum_{\alpha=1}^m(\partial\bm{\phi}/\partial x_\alpha)^2$ involving a dimensionless (renormalized) coupling constant $\lambda$. The implied boundary conditions are given, and the general form of the field-theoretic renormalization of the model below the upper critical dimension $d^*(m)=4+{m}/{2}$ is clarified. Fixed points describing the ordinary, special, and extraordinary transitions are identified and shown to be located at a nontrivial value $\lambda^*$ if $\epsilon\equiv d^*(m)-d>0$. The surface critical exponents of the ordinary transition are determined to second order in $\epsilon$. Extrapolations of these $\epsilon$ expansions yield values of these exponents for $d=3$ in good agreement with recent Monte Carlo results for the case of a uniaxial ($m=1$) Lifshitz point. The scaling dimension of the surface energy density is shown to be given exactly by $d+m (\theta-1)$, where $\theta=\nu_{l4}/\nu_{l2}$ is the anisotropy exponent.

Boundary critical behaviour of two-dimensional random Ising models

Using Monte Carlo techniques and a star-triangle transformation, Ising models with random, 'strong' and 'weak', nearest-neighbour ferromagnetic couplings on a square lattice with a (1,1) surface are studied near the phase transition. Both surface and bulk critical properties are investigated. In particular, the critical exponents of the surface magnetization, 'beta_1', of the correlation length, 'nu', and of the critical surface correlations, 'eta_{\parallel}', are analysed.

Boundary Critical Behaviour of Two-Dimensional Layered Ising Models

Layered models are models in which the coupling constants depend in an arbitrary way on one spatial coordinate, usually the distance from a free surface or boundary. Here the theory of the boundary critical behaviour of two-dimensional layered Ising models, including the Hilhorst–van Leeuwen model and models for aperiodic systems, is reviewed, with a particular attention to exact results for the critical behaviour and the boundary order parameter.

Boundary critical behavior ofd=2 self-avoiding walks on correlated and uncorrelated vacancies

In this paper we present exact results for the critical exponents of interacting self-avoiding walks with ends at a linear boundary. Effective interactions are mediated by vacancies, correlated and uncorrelated, on the dual lattice. By choosing different boundary conditions, several ordinary and special regimes can be described in terms of clusters geometry and of critical and lowtemperature properties of the $$\mathcal{O}(n = 1)$$ model. In particular, the problem of boundary exponents at the Θ′-point is fully solved, and implications forΘ-point universality are discussed. The surface crossover exponent at the special transition of noninteracting self-avoiding walks is also interpreted in terms of percolation dimensions.