General Scaling Arguments Research Articles

Geometric bounds on the power of adiabatic thermal machines.

We analyze the performance of slowly driven meso- and microscale refrigerators and heat engines that operate between two thermal baths with a small temperature difference. Using a general scaling argument, we show that such devices can work arbitrarily close to their Carnot limit only if heat leaks between the baths are fully suppressed. Their power output is then subject to a universal geometric bound that decays quadratically to zero at the Carnot limit. This bound can be asymptotically saturated in the quasistatic limit if the driving protocols are suitably optimized and the temperature difference between the baths goes to zero with the driving frequency. These results hold under generic conditions for any thermodynamically consistent dynamics admitting a well-defined adiabatic-response regime and a generalized Onsager symmetry. For illustration, we work out models of a qubit-refrigerator and a coherent charge pump operating as a cooling device.

Circuit complexity near critical points

We consider the Bose–Hubbard model in two and three spatial dimensions and numerically compute the quantum circuit complexity of the ground state in the Mott insulator and superfluid phases using a mean field approximation with additional quadratic fluctuations. After mapping to a qubit system, the result is given by the complexity associated with a Bogoliubov transformation applied to the reference state taken to be the mean field ground state. In particular, the complexity has peaks at the O(2) critical points where the system can be described by a relativistic quantum field theory. Given that we use a Gaussian approximation, near criticality the numerical results agree with a free field theory calculation. To go beyond the Gaussian approximation we use general scaling arguments that imply that, as we approach the critical point t → t c, there is a non-analytic behavior in the complexity c 2(t) of the form |c 2(t) − c 2(t c)| ∼ |t − t c| νd , up to possible logarithmic corrections. Here d is the number of spatial dimensions and ν is the usual critical exponent for the correlation length ξ ∼ |t − t c|−ν . As a check, for d = 2 this agrees with the numerical computation if we use the Gaussian critical exponent . Finally, using AdS/CFT methods, we study higher dimensional examples and confirm this scaling argument with non-Gaussian exponent ν for strongly interacting theories that have a gravity dual.

Crossovers and critical scaling in the one-dimensional transverse-field Ising model

We consider the scaling behavior of thermodynamic quantities in the one-dimensional transverse-field Ising model near its quantum critical point (QCP). Our study has been motivated by the question about the thermodynamical signatures of this paradigmatic quantum critical system and, more generally, by the issue of how quantum criticality accumulates entropy. We find that the crossovers in the phase diagram of temperature and (the non-thermal control parameter) transverse field obey a general scaling ansatz, and so does the critical scaling behavior of the specific heat and magnetic expansion coefficient. Furthermore, the Gr\"{u}neisen ratio diverges in a power-law way when the QCP is accessed as a function of the transverse field at zero temperature, which follows the prediction of quantum critical scaling. However, at the critical field, upon decreasing the temperature, the Gr\"uneisen ratio approaches a constant instead of showing the expected divergence. We are able to understand this unusual result in terms of a peculiar form of the quantum critical scaling function for the free energy; the contribution to the Gr\"uneisen ratio vanishes at the linear order in a suitable Taylor expansion of the scaling function. In spite of this special form of the scaling function, we show that the entropy is still maximized near the QCP, as expected from the general scaling argument. Our results establish the telltale thermodynamic signature of a transverse-field Ising chain, and will thus facilitate the experimental identification of this model quantum-critical system in real materials.

On the effects from the simultaneous occurrence of the critical Casimir and dispersion forces between conical colloid particle and a thick plate immersed in nonpolar critical fluid

Here we study the interplay between the van der Waals (vdWF) and critical Casimir forces (CCF), as well as the total force (TF) between a conical colloid particle and a thick planar slab. We do that using general scaling arguments and mean-field type calculations utilizing the so-called “surface integration approach”, a generalization of the well known Derjaguin approximation. Its usage in the present research, requires knowledge on the forces between two parallel slabs, confining in between some fluctuating fluid medium characterized by its temperature T and chemical potential μ. The surfaces of the colloid particle and the slab are assumed coated by thin layers exerting strong preference to the liquid phase of a simple fluid, or one of the components of a binary mixture, modeled by strong adsorbing local surface potentials, ensuring the so-called (+,+) boundary conditions. On the other hand, the core region of the slab and the particle, influence the fluid by long-ranged competing dispersion potentials. We demonstrate that for a suitable set of colloid-fluid, slab-fluid, and fluid-fluid coupling parameters the competition between the effects due to the coatings and the core regions of the objects, result, when one changes T or μ, in sign change of the Casimir force (CF) and the TF acting between the colloid and the slab. Such an effect can provide a strategy for solving problems with handling, feeding, trapping and fixing of microparts in nanotechnology.

Sign change in the net force in sphere-plate and sphere-sphere systems immersed in nonpolar critical fluid due to the interplay between the critical Casimir and dispersion van der Waals forces.

We study systems in which both long-ranged van der Waals and critical Casimir interactions are present. The latter arise as an effective force between bodies when immersed in a near-critical medium, say a nonpolar one-component fluid or a binary liquid mixture. They are due to the fact that the presence of the bodies modifies the order parameter profile of the medium between them as well as the spectrum of its allowed fluctuations. We study the interplay between these forces, as well as the total force (TF) between a spherical colloid particle and a thick planar slab and between two spherical colloid particles. We do that using general scaling arguments and mean-field-type calculations utilizing the Derjaguin and the surface integration approaches. They both are based on data of the forces between two parallel slabs separated at a distance L from each other, confining the fluctuating fluid medium characterized by its temperature T and chemical potential μ. The surfaces of the colloid particles and the slab are coated by thin layers exerting strong preference to the liquid phase of the fluid, or one of the components of the mixture, modeled by strong adsorbing local surface potentials, ensuring the so-called (+,+) boundary conditions. On the other hand, the core region of the slab and the particles influence the fluid by long-ranged competing dispersion potentials. We demonstrate that for a suitable set of colloids-fluid, slab-fluid, and fluid-fluid coupling parameters, the competition between the effects due to the coatings and the core regions of the objects involved result, when one changes T,μ, or L, in sign change of the Casimir force (CF) and the TF acting between the colloid and the slab, as well as between the colloids. This can be used for governing the behavior of objects, say colloidal particles, at small distances, say in colloid suspensions for preventing flocculation. It can also provide a strategy for solving problems with handling, feeding, trapping, and fixing of microparts in nanotechnology. Data for specific substances in support of the experimental feasibility of the theoretically predicted behavior of the CF and TF have been also presented.

Shear viscosity at the Ising-nematic quantum critical point in two-dimensional metals

In an isotropic strongly interacting quantum liquid without quasiparticles, general scaling arguments imply that the dimensionless ratio $(k_B /\hbar)\, \eta/s$, where $\eta$ is the shear viscosity and $s$ is the entropy density, is a universal number. We compute the shear viscosity of the Ising-nematic critical point of metals in spatial dimension $d=2$ by an expansion below $d=5/2$. The anisotropy associated with directions parallel and normal to the Fermi surface leads to a violation of the scaling expectations: $\eta$ scales in the same manner as a chiral conductivity, and the ratio $\eta/s$ diverges at low temperature ($T$) as $T^{-2/z}$, where $z$ is the dynamic critical exponent for fermionic excitations dispersing normal to the Fermi surface.

Critical dynamics at the Anderson localization mobility edge

We study the critical dynamics of matter waves at the 3D Anderson mobility edge in cold-atom disorder quench experiments. General scaling arguments are supported by precision numerics for the spectral function, diffusion coefficient, and localization length in isotropic blue-detuned speckle potentials. We discuss signatures of critical slowdown in the time-dependent central column density of a spreading wave packet, and evaluate the prospects of observing anomalous diffusion right at criticality.

Path-integral approach to scale anomaly at finite temperature

We derive the relativistic thermodynamic scale equation using imaginary-time path integrals, with complex scalar field theory taken as a concrete example. We use Fujikawa's method to derive the scaling anomaly for this system using a matrix regulator. We make a general scaling argument to show how for anomalous systems, the $\beta$ function of the vacuum theory can be derived from measurement of macroscopic thermodynamic parameters.

Exact results for the temperature-field behavior of the Ginzburg–Landau Ising type mean-field model

.We investigate the dependence of the order parameter profile, local and total susceptibilities on both the temperature and external magnetic field within the mean-field Ginzburg–Landau Ising type model. We study the case of a film geometry when the boundaries of the film exhibit strong adsorption to one of the phases (components) of the system. We do that using general scaling arguments and deriving exact analytical results for the corresponding scaling functions of these quantities. In addition, we examine their behavior in the capillary condensation regime. Based on the derived exact analytical expressions we obtained an unexpected result—the existence of a region in the phase transitions line where the system jumps below its bulk critical temperature from a less dense gas to a more dense gas before switching on continuously into the usual jump from gas to liquid state in the middle of the system. It is also demonstrated that on the capillary condensation line one of the coexisting local susceptibility profiles is with one maximum, whereas the other one is with two local maxima centered, approximately, around the two gas-liquid interfaces in the system.

Critical and near-critical phase behavior and interplay between the thermodynamic Casimir and van der Waals forces in a confined nonpolar fluid medium with competing surface and substrate potentials.

We study, using general scaling arguments and mean-field type calculations, the behavior of the critical Casimir force and its interplay with the van der Waals force acting between two parallel slabs separated at a distance L from each other, confining some fluctuating fluid medium, say a nonpolar one-component fluid or a binary liquid mixture. The surfaces of the slabs are coated by thin layers exerting strong preference to the liquid phase of the fluid, or one of the components of the mixture, modeled by strong adsorbing local surface potentials ensuring the so-called (+,+) boundary conditions. The slabs, on the other hand, influence the fluid by long-range competing dispersion potentials, which represent irrelevant interactions in renormalization-group sense. Under such conditions, one usually expects attractive Casimir force governed by universal scaling function, pertinent to the extraordinary surface universality class of Ising type systems, to which the dispersion potentials provide only corrections to scaling. We demonstrate, however, that below a given threshold thickness of the system L(crit) for a suitable set of slabs-fluid and fluid-fluid coupling parameters the competition between the effects due to the coatings and the slabs can result in sign change of the Casimir force acting between the surfaces confining the fluid when one changes the temperature T, the chemical potential of the fluid μ, or L. The last implies that by choosing specific materials for the slabs, coatings, and the fluid for L≲L(crit) one can realize repulsive Casimir force with nonuniversal behavior which, upon increasing L, gradually turns into an attractive one described by a universal scaling function, depending only on the relevant scaling fields related to the temperature and the excess chemical potential, for L≫L(crit). We present arguments and relevant data for specific substances in support of the experimental feasibility of the predicted behavior of the force. It can be of interest, e.g., for designing nanodevices and for governing behavior of objects, say colloidal particles, at small distances. We formulate the corresponding criterion for determination of L(crit). The universality is regained for L≫L(crit). We also show that for systems with L≲L(crit), the capillary condensation phase diagram suffers modifications which one does not observe in systems with purely short-ranged interactions.

A restricted dimer model on a two-dimensional random causal triangulation

We introduce a restricted hard dimer model on a random causal triangulation that is exactly solvable and generalizes a model recently proposed by Atkin and Zohren (2012 Phys. Lett. B 712 445–50). We show that the latter model exhibits unusual behaviour at its multicritical point; in particular, its Hausdorff dimension equals 3 and not as would be expected from general scaling arguments. When viewed as a special case of the generalized model introduced here we show that this behaviour is not generic and therefore is not likely to represent the true behaviour of the full dimer model on a random causal triangulation.

Scaling approach to hopping magnetoresistivity in dilute magnetic semiconductors

We suggest a mechanism causing large positive magnetoresistance (MR) in dilute magnetic semiconductors when hopping via nonmagnetic donor impurities dominates the conductivity. The effect is due to the increase in the characteristic width $\ensuremath{\sigma}$ of the donor energy distribution with increasing magnetic field $B$, caused by exchange interactions between magnetic Mn atoms and the electrons localized on nonmagnetic Cl donor impurities. Using general scaling arguments based solely on the dependencies of hopping rates on temperature and on the energies of hopping sites we show that this mechanism accounts quantitatively for our experimental data on MR in $n$-type Zn${}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}$Mn${}_{x}$Se:Cl. We suggest a method for extracting the dependence of $\ensuremath{\sigma}$ on magnetic field from the MR data. The mechanism explains the experimentally observed universal dependence of the MR effect on the ratio $B/T$ at different temperatures $T$ under the premise that transport is due to the nearest-neighbor or Mott hopping mechanism.

Penetration of self-affine fractal rough rigid bodies into a model elastomer having a linear viscous rheology

The penetration of a rigid body with a randomly rough, self-affine surface in a half space filled with a linearly viscous elastomer is studied numerically using the method of boundary elements. Using Radok's principle of functional equations, it is shown analytically that this problem is closely related to the recently investigated problem of contact of self-affine surfaces with an elastic half space. We show that the penetration velocity occurs to be a power function of the applied force and time, the corresponding exponents depending only on the Hurst exponent. For comparison, the same problem is solved using the method of reduction of dimensionality. Both three-dimensional numerical results and the method of reduction of dimensionality support the analytical predictions provided by general scaling arguments.

Corresponding states for mesostructure and dynamics of supercooled water

Water famously expands upon freezing, foreshadowed by a negative coefficient of expansion of the liquid at temperatures close to its freezing temperature. These behaviors, and many others, reflect the energetic preference for local tetrahedral arrangements of water molecules and entropic effects that oppose it. Here, we provide theoretical analysis of mesoscopic implications of this competition, both equilibrium and non-equilibrium, including mediation by interfaces. With general scaling arguments bolstered by simulation results, and with reduced units that elucidate corresponding states, we derive a phase diagram for bulk and confined water and water-like materials. For water itself, the corresponding states cover the temperature range of 150 K to 300 K and the pressure range of 1 bar to 2 kbar. In this regime, there are two reversible condensed phases - ice and liquid. Out of equilibrium, there is irreversible polyamorphism, i.e., more than one glass phase, reflecting dynamical arrest of coarsening ice. Temperature-time plots are derived to characterize time scales of the different phases and explain contrasting dynamical behaviors of different water-like systems.

Hidden Fermi surfaces in compressible states of gauge-gravity duality

General scaling arguments, and the behavior of the thermal entropy density, are shown to lead to an infrared metric holographically representing a compressible state with hidden Fermi surfaces. This metric is characterized by a general dynamic critical exponent, z, and a specific hyperscaling violation exponent, \theta. The same metric exhibits a logarithmic violation of the area law of entanglement entropy, as shown recently by Ogawa et al. (arXiv:1111.1023). We study the dependence of the entanglement entropy on the shape of the entangling region(s), on the total charge density, on temperature, and on the presence of additional visible Fermi surfaces of gauge-neutral fermions; for the latter computations, we realize the needed metric in an Einstein-Maxwell-dilaton theory. All our results support the proposal that the holographic theory describes a metallic state with hidden Fermi surfaces of fermions carrying gauge charges of deconfined gauge fields.

Traveling dark solitons in superfluid Fermi gases

Families of dark solitons exist in superfluid Fermi gases. The energy-velocity dispersion and number of depleted particles completely determines the dynamics of dark solitons on a slowly-varying background density. For the unitary Fermi gas we determine these relations from general scaling arguments and conservation of local particle number. We find solitons to oscillate sinusoidally at the trap frequency reduced by a factor of $1/\sqrt{3}$. Numerical integration of the time-dependent Bogoliubov-de Gennes equation determines spatial profiles and soliton dispersion relations across the BEC-BCS crossover and proves consistent with the scaling relations at unitarity.

Entropy accumulation near quantum critical points: effects beyond hyperscaling

Entropy accumulation near a quantum critical point was expected based on general scaling arguments, and has recently been explicitly observed. We explore this issue further in two canonical models for quantum criticality, with particular attention paid to the potential effects beyond hyperscaling. In the case of a one-dimensional transverse field Ising model, we derive the specific scaling form of the free energy. It follows from this scaling form that the singular temperature dependence at the critical field has a vanishing prefactor but the singular field dependence at zero temperature is realized. For the spin-density-wave model above its upper critical dimension, we show that the dangerously irrelevant quartic coupling comes into the free energy in a delicate way but in the end yields only subleading contributions beyond hyperscaling. We conclude that entropy accumulation near quantum critical point is a robust property of both models.

Thermal behavior of charged dilatonic black branes in AdS and UV completions of Lifshitz-like geometries

Several classes of gravitational backgrounds in $3+1$ dimensions have been proposed as holographic duals to Lifshitz-like theories describing critical phenomena in $2+1$ dimensions with critical exponent $z\geq 1$. We numerically explore one such model, characterized by a temperature $T$ and chemical potential $\mu$, and find how to embed these solutions into AdS for a range of values of $z$. We find no phase transition going from the $T\ll\mu$ to the $T\gg \mu$ regimes, and find that the solutions smoothly interpolate between the Lifshitz-like behavior and the relativistic AdS-like behavior. Finally, we exploit some conserved quantities to find a relationship between the energy density $\mc E$, entropy density $s$, and number density $n$, $\mc E=\frac{2}{3} \left(Ts+\mu n\right)$. We show that this result is expected from general scaling arguments, and generalizes to $\mc E= \frac{d}{d+1}\left(Ts+\mu n\right)$ for a theory dual to AdS$_{d+2}$ (Poincar\'e patch) asymptotics with a local $U(1)$ gauge invariance.

E. Coliand Oxygen: A Motility Transition

The motility of Escherichia coli is correlated with oxygen concentration. We show that oxygen penetrating into an anaerobic sample induces the coexistence of two domains of motile and nonmotile bacteria. This coexistence generates a bacterial accumulation at the border that propagates slowly with a constant velocity. To show that this front propagation follows general scaling arguments, we characterize the sharp and fast motile to nonmotile transition occurring when bacteria exhaust oxygen. Additionally, we develop a novel technique to quantify oxygen in situ without affecting bacteria.

The distribution of spatially averaged critical properties

Critical properties throughout science are popularly associated with heavy-tailed distributions, but experimental evidence indicates several alternative, and very different, functional forms. Until now there has been no clear understanding of why this is, nor any general criterion as to which form to expect in a given practical situation. Here, a general scaling argument is presented, specific to spatially averaged properties, that indicates the following simple rule: if the mean value increases rapidly with system size then a power-law distribution is appropriate; if it changes slowly then a 'generalized Gumbel distribution' is likely, and if it decreases rapidly then an exponentially truncated power-law distribution is appropriate. The three scenarios are connected with the well-established classification of a scaling variable as either irrelevant, marginal or relevant. This result is supported by the current data set and finally renders comprehensible the fact that real critical properties exhibit diverse and apparently unrelated distributions, instead of ubiquitous heavy tails.