Classical Phase Transitions Research Articles

Detecting phase transitions in lattice gauge theories: Production and dissolution of topological defects in 4D compact electrodynamics

We present the application of microcanonical inflection point analysis (MIPA)—a novel and powerful method for the systematic identification and classification of phase transitions (PTs)—to the microcanonical formulation of lattice gauge theories. Specifically, we explore how this approach sheds light on collective phenomena such as the emergence of topological order in quantum field theories. As a case study, we show how to systematically characterize PTs in 4D U(1) lattice electrodynamics. Beyond identifying the well-established deconfinement PT (DPT) associated with pair dissolution, classified as a first-order PT, we uncover two higher-order PTs not observed before. Thanks to the application of the MIPA, we identify an independent third-order PT in the confined phase and indications of a dependent third-order PT in the deconfined (Coulomb) phase. To gain physical insights into these PTs, we numerically compute the average number density of monopolar and pair defects as a function of energy. Notably, our findings reveal that the pair dissolution mechanism extends beyond a singular transitional phenomenon coinciding with the DPT. Instead, it encompasses a spectrum of transitional phenomena, as indicated by the rates of acceleration and deceleration in the dissolution of pairs as a function of energy. Finally, we briefly discuss how such a method can be extended to more complex quantum field theories on a lattice. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Reentrant phase transitions of quantum black holes

We show that backreaction of quantum fields on black hole geometries can trigger new thermal phase transitions. Specifically, we study the phase behavior of the three-dimensional quantum-corrected static Bañados-Teitelboim-Zanelli black hole, an exact solution to specific semiclassical gravitational equations due to quantum conformal matter, discovered through braneworld holography. Focusing on the canonical ensemble, for large backreaction, we find novel reentrant phase transitions as the temperature monotonically increases, namely, from thermal anti–de Sitter space to the black hole and back to thermal anti–de Sitter. The former phase transition is first-order, a quantum analog of the classical Hawking-Page phase transition, while the latter is zeroth order and has no classical counterpart. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Walking with the Atoms in a Chemical Bond: A Perspective Using Quantum Phase Transition.

Phase transitions happen at critical values of the controlling parameters, such as the critical temperature in classical phase transitions, and system critical parameters in the quantum case. However, true criticality happens only at the thermodynamic limit, when the number of particles goes to infinity with constant density. To perform the calculations for the critical parameters, a finite-size scaling approach was developed to extrapolate information from a finite system to the thermodynamic limit. With the advancement in the experimental and theoretical work in the field of ultra-cold systems, particularly trapping and controlling single atomic and molecular systems, one can ask: do finite systems exhibit quantum phase transition? To address this question, finite-size scaling for finite systems was developed to calculate the quantum critical parameters. The recent observation of a quantum phase transition in a single trapped 171 Yb+ ion indicates the possibility of quantum phase transitions in finite systems. This perspective focuses on examining chemical processes at ultra-cold temperatures, as quantum phase transitions-particularly the formation and dissociation of chemical bonds-are the basic processes for understanding the whole of chemistry.

Continuous phase transition induced by non-Hermiticity in the quantum contact process model

Non-Hermitian (NH) quantum system recently have attracted a lots of attentions theoretically and experimentally. However, the results based on the single-particle picture may not apply to understand the property of NH many-body system. How the property of quantum many-body system especially the phase transition will be affected by the non-Hermiticity remains unclear. Here we study NH quantum contact process (QCP) model, whose effective Hamiltonian is derived from Lindbladian master equation. We show that there is a continuous phase transition induced by the non-Hermiticity in QCP. We also determine the critical exponents β of order parameter, γ of susceptibility and study the correlation and entanglement near phase transition point. We observe that the order parameter and susceptibility display infinitely singularity even for finite size system, since non-Hermiticity endow many-body system with different singular behavior from classical phase transition. Moreover our results show that the phase transition have no counterpart in Hermitian case and belongs to completely different universality class.

Mechanical behaviors of metallic alloys dominated by thermo-kinetic synergistic effects upon materials processing

For most metallic alloys, improving strength is usually accompanied by losing ductility (and via versa) even if the work hardening rate keeps unchanged, however, the behind reasons still remain elusive to date. In the present work, we explore the underlying physics for such mechanical performance paradox from the perspective of synergistic effects between thermodynamics and kinetics of phase transition and deformation involved in materials processing. With age-hardenable aluminum alloys as typical examples, the hardening and softening effects are analyzed in terms of system energy accumulation and dissipation during precipitation nucleation and growth along with dislocation multiplication and annihilation. The key thermo-kinetic parameters of driving force and energy barrier are determined by performing relevant atomistic calculations. Analytical models for bridging mechanical performances and thermo-kinetics in terms of microstructural characteristics, which derive from classical phase transition and deformation theories, endow connotation for directing precipitation design, as confirmed by a 6xxx series alloy at the pre-determined aging temperature with ideal strength and ductility. Our work offers an insightful perspective toward understanding the strength and ductility paradox, which can benefit to further establish quantitative connections among processing routes, microstructures and mechanical performances of metallic alloys.

Continued functions and critical exponents: tools for analytical continuation of divergent expressions in phase transition studies

Resummation methods using continued functions are implemented to converge divergent series appearing in perturbation problems related to continuous phase transitions in field theories. In some cases, better convergence properties are obtained using continued functions than diagonal Pade approximants, which are extensively used in literature. We check the reliability of critical exponent estimates derived previously in universality classes of O(n)-symmetric models (classical phase transitions) and Gross-Neveu-Yukawa models (quantum phase transitions) using new methods.

Classical KMS functionals and phase transitions in Poisson geometry

Classical KMS functionals and phase transitions in Poisson geometry

Numerical analysis of energy stable weak Galerkin schemes for the Cahn–Hilliard equation

In this paper, we construct and analyze the energy-stable weak Galerkin schemes for the Cahn–Hilliard equation in the mixed form. The energy stability depends on the newly defined discrete energy functional. We propose two robust weak Galerkin schemes with extra stabilizing terms in time: the first-order conditionally energy stable scheme of which the stability does not depend on spatial mesh size, and the second-order unconditionally energy stable scheme. Energy stabilities and error estimates for the fully discrete schemes are obtained. Numerical experiments are provided to validate the theoretical results. A classical phase transition model is presented to show the energy stable property of the schemes.

Robust orbital diamagnetism in correlated Dirac fermions

We study orbital diamagnetism at zero temperature in (2 + 1)-dimensional Dirac fermions with a short-range interaction which exhibits a quantum phase transition to a charge density wave (CDW) phase. We introduce orbital magnetic fields into spinless Dirac fermions on the π-flux square lattice, and analyze them by using infinite density matrix renormalization group. It is found that the diamagnetism remains intact in the Dirac semimetal regime, while it is monotonically suppressed in the CDW regime. Around the quantum critical point of the CDW phase transition, we find a scaling behavior of the diamagnetism characteristic of the chiral Ising universality class. Besides, the scaling analysis implies that the robust orbital diamagnetism at weak magnetic fields in a Dirac semimetal regime would hold not only in our model but also in other interacting Dirac fermion systems as long as scaling regions are wide enough. The scaling behavior may also be regarded as a quantum, magnetic analogue of the critical Casimir effect which has been widely studied for classical phase transitions.

Evidence for additional third-order transitions in the two-dimensional Ising model.

We employ the microcanonical inflection-point analysis method, developed for the systematic identification and classification of phase transitions in systems of any size, to study the two-dimensional Ising model at various lattice sizes and in the thermodynamic limit. Exact results for the density of states, which were obtained by exact algorithmic computation, provide evidence for higher-order transitions in addition to the well-studied second-order ferromagnetic-paramagnetic phase transition. An independent third-order phase transition is identified in the ferromagnetic phase, whereas another third-order transition resides in the paramagnetic phase. The latter is a dependent transition, i.e., it is inevitably associated with the critical transition, but it remains separate from the critical point in the thermodynamic limit. For a deeper insight into the nature of these additional transitions, a detailed analysis of spin clusters is performed.

Measurement-induced phase transition in a chaotic classical many-body system

Local measurements in quantum systems are projective operations which act to counteract the spread of quantum entanglement. Recent work has shown that local, random measurements applied to a generic volume-law entanglement generating many-body system are able to force a transition into an area-law phase. This work shows that projective operations can also force a similar classical phase transition; we show that local projections in a chaotic system can freeze information dynamics. In rough analogy with measurement-induced phase transitions, this is characterized by an absence of information spreading instead of entanglement entropy. We leverage a damage-spreading model of the classical transition to predict the butterfly velocity of the system both near to and away from the transition point. We map out the full phase diagram and show that the critical point is shifted by local projections, but remains in the directed percolation universality class. We discuss the implication for other classical chaotic many-body systems.

Effects of critical correlations on quantum percolation in two dimensions

We analyze the out-of-equilibrium dynamics of a quantum particle coupled to local magnetic degrees of freedom that undergo a classical phase transition. Specifically, we consider a two-dimensional tight-binding model that interacts with a background of classical spins in thermal equilibrium, which are subject to Ising interactions and act as emergent, correlated disorder for the quantum particle. Particular attention is devoted to temperatures close to the ferromagnet-to-paramagnet transition. To capture the salient features of the classical transition, namely the effects of long-range correlations, we focus on the strong coupling limit, in which the model can be mapped onto a quantum percolation problem on spin clusters generated by the Ising model. By inspecting several dynamical probes such as energy level statistics, inverse participation ratios, and wave-packet dynamics, we provide evidence that the classical phase transition might induce a delocalization-localization transition in the quantum system at certain energies. We also identify further important features due to the presence of Ising correlations, such as the suppression of compact localized eigenstates.

Out-of-equilibrium dynamics arising from slow round-trip variations of Hamiltonian parameters across quantum and classical critical points

We address the out-of-equilibrium dynamics of many-body systems subject to slow time-dependent round-trip protocols across quantum and classical (thermal) phase transitions. We consider protocols where one relevant parameter w is slowly changed across its critical point wc = 0, linearly in time with a large time scale ts, from wi < 0 to wf > 0 and then back to wi < 0, thus entailing multiple passages through the critical point. Analogously to the one-way Kibble-Zurek protocols across a critical point, round-trip protocols develop dynamic scaling behaviors at both classical and quantum transitions, put forward within renormalization-group frameworks. The scaling scenario is analyzed within some paradigmatic models undergoing quantum and classical transitions belonging to the two-dimensional Ising universality class, such as one-dimensional quantum Ising models and fermionic wires, and two-dimensional classical Ising models (supplemented with a purely relaxational dynamics). While the dynamic scaling frameworks are similar for classical and quantum systems, substantial differences emerge due to the different nature of their dynamics, which is purely relaxational for classical systems (implying thermalization in the large-time limit at fixed model parameters), and unitary in the case of quantum systems. In particular, when the critical point separates two gapped (short-ranged) phases and the extreme value wf > 0 is kept fixed in the large-ts limit of the round-trip protocol, we observe hysteresis-like scenarios in classical systems, while quantum systems do not apparently develop a sufficiently robust scaling limit along the return way, due to the presence of rapidly oscillating relative phases among the relevant quantum states.

The geometric theory of phase transitions

We develop a geometric theory of phase transitions (PTs) for Hamiltonian systems in the microcanonical ensemble. Such a theory allows to rephrase the Bachmann’s classification of PTs for finite-size systems in terms of geometric properties of the energy level sets (ELSs) associated to the Hamiltonian function. Specifically, by defining the microcanonical entropy as the logarithm of the ELS’s volume equipped with a suitable metric tensor, we obtain an exact equivalence between thermodynamics and geometry. In fact, we show that any energy-derivative of the entropy can be associated to a specific combination of geometric curvature structures of the ELSs which, in turn, are well-precise combinations of the potential function derivatives. In so doing, we establish a direct connection between the microscopic description provided by the Hamiltonian and the collective behavior which emerges in a PT. Finally, we also analyze the behavior of the ELSs’ geometry in the thermodynamic limit showing that nonanalyticities of the energy-derivatives of the entropy are caused by nonanalyticities of certain geometric properties of the ELSs around the transition point. We validate the theory studying PTs that occur in the ϕ 4 and Ginzburg–Landau-like models.

New Class of Phase Transitions in Hydrogen and Deuterium Experiencing Chemical Reactions of Ionization and Dissociation

New Class of Phase Transitions in Hydrogen and Deuterium Experiencing Chemical Reactions of Ionization and Dissociation

Critical behavior of Tan’s contact for bosonic systems with a fixed chemical potential

The temperature dependence of Tan’s contact parameter C and its derivatives for spin gapped quantum magnets are investigated. We use the paradigm of Bose–Einstein condensation (BEC) to describe the low temperature properties of quasiparticles in the system known as triplons. Since the number of particles and the condensate fraction are not fixed we use the μVT ensemble to calculate the thermodynamic quantities. The interactions are treated at the Hartree–Fock–Bogoliubov approximation level. We obtained the temperature dependence of C and its derivative with respect to temperature and applied magnetic field both above and below T c of the phase transition from the normal phase to BEC. We have shown that C is regular, while its derivatives are discontinuous at T c in accordance with Ehrenfest’s classification of phase transitions. Moreover, we have found a sign change in ∂C/∂T close to the critical temperature. As to the quantum critical point, C and its derivatives are regular as a function of the control parameter r, which induces the quantum phase transition. At very low temperatures, one may evaluate C simply from the expression , where the only parameter effective mass of quasiparticles should be estimated. We propose a method for measuring of Tan’s contact for spin gapped dimerized magnets.

Revealing three-dimensional quantum criticality by Sr substitution in Han purple

Classical and quantum phase transitions (QPTs), with their accompanying concepts of criticality and universality, are a cornerstone of statistical thermodynamics. An exemplary controlled QPT is the field-induced magnetic ordering of a gapped quantum magnet. Although numerous "quasi-one-dimensional" coupled spin-chain and -ladder materials are known whose ordering transition is three-dimensional (3D), quasi-2D systems are special for several physical reasons. Motivated by the ancient pigment Han Purple (BaCuSi$_{2}$O$_{6}$), a quasi-2D material displaying anomalous critical properties, we present a complete analysis of Ba$_{0.9}$Sr$_{0.1}$CuSi$_{2}$O$_{6}$. We measure the zero-field magnetic excitations by neutron spectroscopy and deduce the magnetic Hamiltonian. We probe the field-induced transition by combining magnetization, specific-heat, torque and magnetocalorimetric measurements with low-temperature nuclear magnetic resonance studies near the QPT. By a Bayesian statistical analysis and large-scale Quantum Monte Carlo simulations, we demonstrate unambiguously that observable 3D quantum critical scaling is restored by the structural simplification arising from light Sr-substitution in Han Purple.

Topological persistence machine of phase transitions.

The study of phase transitions using data-driven approaches is challenging, especially when little prior knowledge of the system is available. Topological data analysis is an emerging framework for characterizing the shape of data and has recently achieved success in detecting structural transitions in material science, such as the glass-liquid transition. However, data obtained from physical states may not have explicit shapes as structural materials. We thus propose a general framework, termed "topological persistence machine," to construct the shape of data from correlations in states, so that we can subsequently decipher phase transitions via qualitative changes in the shape. Our framework enables an effective and unified approach in phase transition analysis. We demonstrate the efficacy of the approach in detecting the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless phase transition in the classical XY model and quantum phase transitions in the transverse Ising and Bose-Hubbard models. Interestingly, while these phase transitions have proven to be notoriously difficult to analyze using traditional methods, they can be characterized through our framework without requiring prior knowledge of the phases. Our approach is thus expected to be widely applicable and will provide practical insights for exploring the phases of experimental physical systems.

Absorbing phase transition with a continuously varying exponent in a quantum contact process: A neural network approach

Phase transitions in dissipative quantum systems are intriguing because they are induced by the interplay between coherent quantum and incoherent classical fluctuations. Here, we investigate the crossover from a quantum to a classical absorbing phase transition arising in the quantum contact process (QCP). The Lindblad equation contains two parameters, $\omega$ and $\kappa$, which adjust the contributions of the quantum and classical effects, respectively. We find that in one dimension when the QCP starts from a homogeneous state with all active sites, there exists a critical line in the region $0 \le \kappa < \kappa_*$ along which the exponent $\alpha$ (which is associated with the density of active sites) decreases continuously from a quantum to the classical directed percolation (DP) value. This behavior suggests that the quantum coherent effect remains to some extent near $\kappa=0$. However, when the QCP in one dimension starts from a heterogeneous state with all inactive sites except for one active site, all the critical exponents have the classical DP values for $\kappa \ge 0$. In two dimensions, anomalous crossover behavior does not occur, and classical DP behavior appears in the entire region of $\kappa \ge 0$ regardless of the initial configuration. Neural network machine learning is used to identify the critical line and determine the correlation length exponent. Numerical simulations using the quantum jump Monte Carlo technique and tensor network method are performed to determine all the other critical exponents of the QCP.

Self-Similarity Breaking: Anomalous Nonequilibrium Finite-Size Scaling and Finite-Time ScalingSupported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 11575297).

Symmetry breaking plays a pivotal role in modern physics. Although self-similarity is also a symmetry, and appears ubiquitously in nature, a fundamental question arises as to whether self-similarity breaking makes sense or not. Here, by identifying an important type of critical fluctuation, dubbed ‘phases fluctuations’, and comparing the numerical results for those with self-similarity and those lacking self-similarity with respect to phases fluctuations, we show that self-similarity can indeed be broken, with significant consequences, at least in nonequilibrium situations. We find that the breaking of self-similarity results in new critical exponents, giving rise to a violation of the well-known finite-size scaling, or the less well-known finite-time scaling, and different leading exponents in either the ordered or the disordered phases of the paradigmatic Ising model on two- or three-dimensional finite lattices, when subject to the simplest nonequilibrium driving of linear heating or cooling through its critical point. This is in stark contrast to identical exponents and different amplitudes in usual critical phenomena. Our results demonstrate how surprising driven nonequilibrium critical phenomena can be. The application of this theory to other classical and quantum phase transitions is also anticipated.