Order Parameter Field Research Articles

Engineering holographic phase diagrams

We study how to engineer holographic models with features of a high temperature superconductor phase diagram. We introduce a field in the bulk which provides a tunable "doping" parameter in the boundary theory. By designing how this field changes the effective masses of other order parameter fields, desired phase diagrams can be engineered. We give examples of generating phase diagrams with phase boundaries similar to a superconducting dome and an anti-ferromagnetic phase by including two order parameter fields. We also explore whether the pseudo gap phase can be described without adding another order parameter field and discuss the potential scaling symmetry associated with a quantum critical point hidden under the superconducting dome in this phase diagram.

Critical initial-slip scaling for the noisy complex Ginzburg–Landau equation

We employ the perturbative fieldtheoretic renormalization group method to investigate the universal critical behavior near the continuous non-equilibrium phase transition in the complex Ginzburg–Landau equation with additive white noise. This stochastic partial differential describes a remarkably wide range of physical systems: coupled nonlinear oscillators subject to external noise near a Hopf bifurcation instability; spontaneous structure formation in non-equilibrium systems, e.g., in cyclically competing populations; and driven-dissipative Bose–Einstein condensation, realized in open systems on the interface of quantum optics and many-body physics, such as cold atomic gases and exciton-polaritons in pumped semiconductor quantum wells in optical cavities. Our starting point is a noisy, dissipative Gross–Pitaevski or nonlinear Schrödinger equation, or equivalently purely relaxational kinetics originating from a complex-valued Landau–Ginzburg functional, which generalizes the standard equilibrium model A critical dynamics of a non-conserved complex order parameter field. We study the universal critical behavior of this system in the early stages of its relaxation from a Gaussian-weighted fully randomized initial state. In this critical aging regime, time translation invariance is broken, and the dynamics is characterized by the stationary static and dynamic critical exponents, as well as an independent ‘initial-slip’ exponent. We show that to first order in the dimensional expansion about the upper critical dimension, this initial-slip exponent in the complex Ginzburg–Landau equation is identical to its equilibrium model A counterpart. We furthermore employ the renormalization group flow equations as well as construct a suitable complex spherical model extension to argue that this conclusion likely remains true to all orders in the perturbation expansion.

Necessary Condition for Emergent Symmetry from the Conformal Bootstrap.

We use the conformal bootstrap program to derive the necessary conditions for emergent symmetry enhancement from discrete symmetry (e.g., Z_{n}) to continuous symmetry [e.g., U(1)] under the renormalization group flow. In three dimensions, in order for Z_{2} symmetry to be enhanced to U(1) symmetry, the conformal bootstrap program predicts that the scaling dimension of the order parameter field at the infrared conformal fixed point must satisfy Δ_{1}>1.08. We also obtain the similar necessary conditions for Z_{3} symmetry with Δ_{1}>0.580 and Z_{4} symmetry with Δ_{1}>0.504 from the simultaneous conformal bootstrap analysis of multiple four-point functions. As applications, we show that our necessary conditions impose severe constraints on the nature of the chiral phase transition in QCD, the deconfinement criticality in Néel valence bond solid transitions, and anisotropic deformations in critical O(n) models. We prove that some fixed points proposed in the literature are unstable under the perturbation that cannot be forbidden by the discrete symmetry. In these situations, the second-order phase transition with enhanced symmetry cannot happen.

Correlated fluctuations near the QCD critical point

In this paper, we introduce a freeze-out scheme for the dynamical models near the QCD critical point through coupling the decoupled classical particles with the order parameter field. With a modified distribution function that satisfies specific static fluctuations, we calculate the correlated fluctuations of net protons on the hydrodynamic freeze-out surface. A comparison with recent STAR data shows that our model calculations could roughly reproduce energy dependent cumulant $C_4$ and $\kappa \sigma^2$ of net protons through tuning the related parameters. However, the calculated $C_2$ and $C_3$ with both Poisson and Binomial baselines are always above the experimental data due to the positive contributions from the static critical fluctuations. In order to qualitatively and quantitatively describe the experimental data, the dynamical critical fluctuations and more realistic non-critical fluctuation baselines should be investigated in the near future.

Phases and Interfaces from Real Space Atomically Resolved Data: Physics-Based Deep Data Image Analysis.

Advances in electron and scanning probe microscopies have led to a wealth of atomically resolved structural and electronic data, often with ∼1-10 pm precision. However, knowledge generation from such data requires the development of a physics-based robust framework to link the observed structures to macroscopic chemical and physical descriptors, including single phase regions, order parameter fields, interfaces, and structural and topological defects. Here, we develop an approach based on a synergy of sliding window Fourier transform to capture the local analog of traditional structure factors combined with blind linear unmixing of the resultant 4D data set. This deep data analysis is ideally matched to the underlying physics of the problem and allows reconstruction of the a priori unknown structure factors of individual components and their spatial localization. We demonstrate the principles of this approach using a synthetic data set and further apply it for extracting chemical and physically relevant information from electron and scanning tunneling microscopy data. This method promises to dramatically speed up crystallographic analysis in atomically resolved data, paving the road toward automatic local structure-property determinations in crystalline and quasi-ordered systems, as well as systems with competing structural and electronic order parameters.

Negative optical anisotropic behaviour of two higher homologues of 5O. m series of liquid crystals

In this paper, we report optical studies of two higher homologous of 5O. m (m=14,16) series which are found to exhibit negative optical anisotropy in our studies. These compounds are calamatic interdigitated with unsymmetrical alkyl chain length. The compounds show high refractive indices in our experiment. The experimentally measured refractive indices data used to calculate the molecular polarizability, order parameter, Lorentz and internal field factors. We observed that, the molecular polarizability of both the sample increases with the increase in temperature. Vuks' and Neugebauer's models are adopted for the calculation of molecular polarizabilities. Direct extrapolation method for birefringence measurements and Vuks', Neugebaur's, modified Vuks' based on Haller's extrapolation methods were used to determine the order parameter of the LC compound. The results from our study show the same nature for both the liquid crystal compounds.

Pullback attractors of the two-dimensional non-autonomous simplified Ericksen–Leslie system for nematic liquid crystal flows

This paper is concerned with the long-time behaviour of the two-dimensional non-autonomous simplified Ericksen–Leslie system for nematic liquid crystal flows introduced in Lin and Liu (Commun Pure Appl Math, 48:501–537, 1995) with a non-autonomous forcing bulk term and order parameter field boundary conditions. In this paper, we prove the existence of pullback attractors and estimate the upper bound of its fractal dimension under some suitable assumptions.

Emergent geometry from field theory: Wilson’s renormalization group revisited

We find a geometrical description from a field theoretical setup based on Wilson's renormalization group in real space. We show that renormalization group equations of coupling parameters encode the metric structure of an emergent curved space, regarded to be an Einstein equation for the emergent gravity. Self-consistent equations of local order-parameter fields with an emergent metric turn out to describe low energy dynamics of a strongly coupled field theory, analogous to the Maxwell equation of the Einstein-Maxwell theory in the AdS$_{d+2}$/CFT$_{d+1}$ duality conjecture. We claim that the AdS$_{3}$/CFT$_{2}$ duality may be interpreted as Landau-Ginzburg theory combined with Wilson's renormalization group, which introduces vertex corrections into the Landau-Ginzburg theory in the large$-N_{s}$ limit, where $N_{s}$ is the number of fermion flavors.

Self-synchronization in an ensemble of nonlinear oscillators.

The paper describes the results of study of a system of coupled nonlinear, Duffing-type oscillators, from the viewpoint of their self-synchronization, i.e., generation of a coherent field (order parameter) via instability of an incoherent (random-phase) initial state. We consider both the cases of dissipative coupling (e.g., via the joint radiation) and reactive coupling in a Hamiltonian system.

On phase field modeling of ductile fracture

AbstractRecently, different extensions of phase field fracture models to ductile fracture scenarios where the crack evolution is affected by plastic deformation have been proposed. In most of these phase field models for ductile fracture, the coupling of the elastic‐plastic material laws and the phase field variable is rather complicated and staggered finite element solution schemes are employed in order to avoid the computation of the complicated coupling terms in the tangent matrix. In this work, we propose an elastic‐plastic phase field fracture model, where the coupling is such that a monolithic solution is possible. Through the proposed coupling of the elastic‐plastic material law and the phase field order parameter, a reinterpretation of the meaning of the plastic material parameters is necessary in order to obtain reasonable effective material properties for the ductile phase field fracture model that can be related to measured data. The respective relations are derived from an analysis of the model in one dimension. Finite element simulations of plane strain fracture problems demonstrate the appropriateness of the derived effective material parameters and the applicability of the monolithic solution scheme. (© 2016 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Solitonlike magnetization textures in noncollinear antiferromagnets

We show that proper control of magnetization textures can be achieved in noncollinear antiferromagnets. This opens the versatile toolbox of domain-wall manipulation in the context of a different family of materials. In this way, we show that noncollinear antiferromagnets are a good prospect for applications in the context of antiferromagnetic spintronics. As in many noncollinear antiferromagnets, the order parameter field takes values in SO(3). By performing a gradient expansion in the energy functional we derive an effective theory that accounts for the physics of the magnetization of long-wavelength excitations. We apply our formalism to static and dynamic textures such as domain walls and localized oscillations, and identify topologically protected textures that are spatially localized. Our results are applicable to the exchange-bias materials Mn3X, with X = Ir, Rh, Pt.

Unconventional superconducting states on doped Shastry–Sutherland lattice

By using a renormalized mean-field theory, we investigate the phase diagram of t–t′–J–J′ model on a two dimensional Shastry–Sutherland (SS) lattice which can be realized in a group of layered compounds such as SrCu2(BO3)2, Yb2Pt2Pb. We find that the symmetry of ground state depends on frustration parameter η=t′/t and doping concentration. For weak and intermediate |η|, dx2−y2-wave superconducting state is robust in a wide region. While for larger |η| > 1 cases, the superconducting ground state has s–s-wave symmetry. Around the most frustrated η=±1 point, dx2−y2-wave state, s–s-wave state as well as staggered-flux state appear, the energy favorable state is the ground state. The order of the phase transition between different states depends on the continuity of the mean field order parameters.

Tracking vortices in superconductors: Extracting singularities from a discretized complex scalar field evolving in time.

In type-II superconductors, the dynamics of magnetic flux vortices determine their transport properties. In the Ginzburg-Landau theory, vortices correspond to topological defects in the complex order parameter field. Earlier, in Phillips et al. [Phys. Rev. E 91, 023311 (2015)], we introduced a method for extracting vortices from the discretized complex order parameter field generated by a large-scale simulation of vortex matter. With this method, at a fixed time step, each vortex [simplistically, a one-dimensional (1D) curve in 3D space] can be represented as a connected graph extracted from the discretized field. Here we extend this method as a function of time as well. A vortex now corresponds to a 2D space-time sheet embedded in 4D space time that can be represented as a connected graph extracted from the discretized field over both space and time. Vortices that interact by merging or splitting correspond to disappearance and appearance of holes in the connected graph in the time direction. This method of tracking vortices, which makes no assumptions about the scale or behavior of the vortices, can track the vortices with a resolution as good as the discretization of the temporally evolving complex scalar field. Additionally, even details of the trajectory between time steps can be reconstructed from the connected graph. With this form of vortex tracking, the details of vortex dynamics in a model of a superconducting materials can be understood in greater detail than previously possible.

Interaction-driven exotic quantum phases in spin-orbit-coupled spin-1 bosons

We study the interplay between large-spin, spin-orbit coupling, and superfluidity for bosons in a two dimensional optical lattice, focusing on the spin-1 spin-orbit coupled system recently realized at the Joint Quantum Institute [Campbell et. al., arXiv:1501.05984]. We find a rich quantum phase diagram, where, in addition to the conventional phases ---superfluid and insulator--- contained in the spin-$1$ Bose-Hubbard model, there are new lattice symmetry breaking phases. For weak interactions, the interplay between two length scales, the lattice momentum and the spin-orbit wave-vector induce a phase transition from a uniform superfluid to a phase where bosons simultaneously condense at the center and edge of the Brillouin zone at a non-zero spin-orbit strength. This state is characterized by spin density wave order, which arises from the spin-$1$ nature of the system. Interactions suppress spin density wave order, and favor a superfluid \textit{only} at the Brillouin zone edge. This state has spatially oscillating mean field order parameters, but a homogeneous density. We show that the spin density wave superfluid phase survives in a two dimensional harmonic trap, and thus establish that our results are directly applicable to experiments on $^{87}$Rb, $^7$Li, and $^{41}$K.

Extracting, Tracking, and Visualizing Magnetic Flux Vortices in 3D Complex-Valued Superconductor Simulation Data.

We propose a method for the vortex extraction and tracking of superconducting magnetic flux vortices for both structured and unstructured mesh data. In the Ginzburg-Landau theory, magnetic flux vortices are well-defined features in a complex-valued order parameter field, and their dynamics determine electromagnetic properties in type-II superconductors. Our method represents each vortex line (a 1D curve embedded in 3D space) as a connected graph extracted from the discretized field in both space and time. For a time-varying discrete dataset, our vortex extraction and tracking method is as accurate as the data discretization. We then apply 3D visualization and 2D event diagrams to the extraction and tracking results to help scientists understand vortex dynamics and macroscale superconductor behavior in greater detail than previously possible.

Interplay of curvature-induced micro- and nanodomain structures in multicomponent lipid bilayers

We discuss different mechanisms for curvature-induced domain formation in multicomponent lipid membranes and present a theoretical model that allows us to study the interplay between the domains. The model represents the membrane by two coupled monolayers, which each carry an additional order parameter field describing the local lipid composition. The spontaneous curvature of each monolayer is coupled to the local composition; moreover, the lipid compositions on opposing monolayers are coupled to each other. Using this model, we calculate the phase behavior of the bilayer in mean-field approximation. The resulting phase diagrams are surprisingly complex and reveal a variety of phases and phase transitions, including a decorated microdomain phase where nanodomains are aligned along the microdomain boundaries. Our results suggest that external membrane tension can be used to control the lateral organization of nanodomains (which might be associated with lipid “rafts”) in a multicomponent lipid bilayer.

Order parameter re-mapping algorithm for 3D phase field model of grain growth using FEM

Phase field modeling (PFM) is a well-known technique for simulating microstructural evolution. To model grain growth using PFM, typically each grain is assigned a unique non-conserved order parameter and each order parameter field is evolved in time. Traditional approaches using a one-to-one mapping of grains to order parameters present a challenge when modeling large numbers of grains due to the computational expense of using many order parameters. This problem is exacerbated when using an implicit finite element method (FEM), as the global matrix size is proportional to the number of order parameters. While previous work has developed methods to reduce the number of required variables and thus computational complexity and run time, none of the existing approaches can be applied for an implicit FEM implementation of PFM. Here, we present a modular, dynamic, scalable reassignment algorithm suitable for use in such a system. Polycrystal modeling with grain growth and stress require careful tracking of each grain’s position and orientation which is lost when using a reduced order parameter set. The method presented in this paper maintains a unique ID for each grain even after reassignment, to allow the PFM to be tightly coupled to calculations of the stress throughout the polycrystal. Implementation details and comparative results of our approach are presented.

Ising lines: Natural topological defects within ferroelectric Bloch walls

Phase-field simulations demonstrate that the polarization order-parameter field in the Ginzburg-Landau-Devonshire model of rhombohedral ferroelectric ${\mathrm{BaTiO}}_{3}$ allows for an interesting linear defect, stable under simple periodic boundary conditions. This linear defect, here called the Ising line, can be described as an about 2-nm-thick intrinsic paraelectric nanorod acting as a highly mobile borderline between finite portions of Bloch-like domain walls of opposite helicity. These Ising lines play the role of domain boundaries associated with the Ising-to-Bloch domain-wall phase transition.

Incommensurate spin density wave at a ferromagnetic quantum critical point in a three-dimensional parabolic semimetal

We explore the ferromagnetic quantum critical point in a three-dimensional semimetallic system with upward- and downward-dispersing bands touching at the Fermi level. Evaluating the static spin susceptibility to leading order in the coupling between the fermions and the fluctuating ferromagnetic order parameter, we find that the ferromagnetic quantum critical point is masked by an incommensurate, longitudinal spin density wave phase. We first analyze an idealized model which, despite having strong spin-orbit coupling, still possesses O(3) rotational symmetry generated by the total angular momentum operator. In this case, the direction of the incommensurate spin density wave propagation can point anywhere, while the magnetic moment is aligned along the direction of propagation. Including symmetry-allowed anisotropies in the fermion dispersion and the coupling to the order parameter field, however, the ordering wavevector instead breaks a discrete symmetry and aligns along either the [111] or [100] direction, depending on the signs and magnitudes of these two types of anisotropy.

Enhanced pairing of quantum critical metals neard=3+1

We study the dynamics of a quantum critical boson coupled to a Fermi surface in intermediate energy regimes where the Landau damping of the boson can be parametrically controlled, either via large Fermi velocity or by large-$N$ techniques. We develop a systematic approach to the BCS instability of such systems, including careful treatment of the enhanced ${\text{log}}^{2}$ and ${\text{log}}^{3}$ singularities which appear already at 1-loop. These singularities arise due to the exchange of a critical boson in the Cooper channel and are absent in Fermi liquid theory. We also treat possible instabilities to charge density wave (CDW) formation, and compare the scales ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{\mathrm{BCS}}$ and ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{\mathrm{CDW}}$ of the onset of the instabilities in different parametric regimes. We address the question of whether the dressing of the fermions into a non-Fermi liquid via interactions with the order parameter field can happen at energies $>{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{\mathrm{BCS}},{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{\mathrm{CDW}}$.