Kosterlitz-Thouless Universality Research Articles

New Ordered Phases in a Class of GeneralizedXYModels

It is well known that the 2D XY model exhibits an unusual infinite order phase transition belonging to the Kosterlitz-Thouless (KT) universality class. Introduction of a nematic coupling into the XY Hamiltonian leads to an additional phase transition in the Ising universality class [D. H. Lee and G. Grinstein, Phys. Rev. Lett. 55, 541 (1985)]. Using a combination of extensive Monte Carlo simulations and finite size scaling, we show that the higher order harmonics lead to a qualitatively different phase diagram, with additional ordered phases originating from the competition between the ferromagnetic and pseudonematic couplings. The new phase transitions belong to the 2D Potts, Ising, or KT universality classes.

Critical behavior of the frustrated antiferromagnetic six-state clock model on a triangular lattice.

We study the antiferromagnetic six-state clock model with nearest neighbor interactions on a triangular lattice with extensive Monte Carlo simulations. We find clear indications of two phase transitions at two different temperatures: Below T(I) a chirality order sets in and by a thorough finite-size-scaling analysis of the specific heat and the chirality correlation length we show that this transition is in the Ising universality class (with a nonvanishing chirality order parameter below T(I)). At T(KT) (<T(I)) the spin-spin correlation length as well as the spin susceptibility diverges according to a Kosterlitz-Thouless (KT) form and spin correlations decay algebraically below T(KT). We compare our results to recent x-ray diffraction experiments on the orientational ordering of CF3Br monolayers physisorbed on graphite. We argue that the six-state clock model describes the universal feature of the phase transition in the experimental system and that the orientational ordering belongs to the KT universality class.