Q-state Clock Model Research Articles

Symmetry breaking in an extended O(2) model

Motivated by attempts to quantum simulate lattice models with continuous Abelian symmetries using discrete approximations, we study an extended-O(2) model in two dimensions that differs from the ordinary O(2) model by the addition of an explicit symmetry breaking term −hqcos(qφ). Its coupling hq allows to smoothly interpolate between the O(2) model (hq=0) and a q-state clock model (hq→∞). In the latter case, a q-state clock model can also be defined for noninteger values of q. Thus, such a limit can also be considered as an analytic continuation of an ordinary q-state clock model to noninteger q. In previous work, we established the phase diagram for noninteger q in the infinite coupling limit (hq→∞). We showed that there is a second-order phase transition at low temperature and a crossover at high temperature. In this work, we seek to establish the phase diagram at finite values of the coupling using Monte Carlo and tensor methods. We show that for noninteger q, the second-order phase transition at low temperature and crossover at high temperature persist to finite coupling. For integer q=2, 3, 4, we know there is a second-order phase transition at infinite coupling (i.e. the well-known clock models). At finite coupling, we find that the critical exponents for q=3, 4 vary with the coupling, and for q=4 the transition may turn into a Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition at small coupling. We comment on the similarities and differences of the phase diagrams with those of quantum simulators of the Abelian-Higgs model based on ladder-shaped arrays of Rydberg atoms. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Detection of Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless transitions for the two-dimensional q-state clock models with neural networks

Detection of Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless transitions for the two-dimensional q-state clock models with neural networks

Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition from neural network flows.

We adopt the neural network (NN) flow method to study the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) phase transitions of the two-dimensional q-state clock model with q≥4. The NN flow consists of a sequence of the same units that proceed with the flow. This unit is a variational autoencoder trained by the data of Monte Carlo configurations in unsupervised learning. To gauge the difference among the ensembles of Monte Carlo configurations at different temperatures and the uniqueness of the ensemble of NN-flow states, we adopt the Jensen-Shannon divergence (JSD) as the information-distance measure "thermometer." This JSD thermometer compares the probability distribution functions of the mean spin value of two ensembles of states. Our results show that the NN flow will flow an arbitrary spin state to some state in a fixed-point ensemble of states. The corresponding JSD of the fixed-point ensemble takes a unique profile with peculiar features, which can help to identify the critical temperatures of BKT phase transitions of the underlying Monte Carlo configurations.

Numerical evidence of a universal critical behavior of two-dimensional and three-dimensional random quantum clock and Potts models.

The random quantum q-state clock and Potts models are studied in two and three dimensions. The existence of Griffiths phases is tested in the two-dimensional case with q=6 by sampling the integrated probability distribution of local susceptibilities of the equivalent McCoy-Wu three-dimensional classical models with Monte Carlo simulations. For the random Potts model, numerical evidence of the existence of Griffiths phases is given and the finite-size effects are analyzed. For the clock model, the data also suggest the existence of a Griffiths phase but with much larger finite-size effects. The critical point of the random quantum clock model is then studied with the Strong-Disorder Renormalization Group. Evidence is given that, at strong enough disorder, this critical behavior is governed by the same infinite-disorder fixed point as the Potts model, for all the number of states q considered. At weak disorder, our renormalization group method becomes unstable and does not allow us to make conclusions.

Anisotropic deformation of the 6-state clock model: Tricritical-point classification

The two-dimensional q-state clock models exhibit the Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless (BKT) transition for q≥5 since they are a subset of the isotropic XY model. We examine the 6-state clock model with an anisotropic deformation. Selecting the 6-state Potts model as a source of the deformation, the model naturally violates the discrete rotational symmetry of the clock model. We introduce the anisotropic deformation parameter α in the clock model interpolating the clock (α=1) and the Potts (α=0) models. We employ the corner transfer matrix renormalization group method to analyze the phase transitions on the square lattice in the thermodynamic limit. Three different phases and phase transitions are identified. The phase diagram is constructed, and we determine a tricritical point at αc=0.21405(4) and Tc=0.834017(5). Analyzing the latent heat and the entanglement entropy in the vicinity of the Tc(αc), we observe a single discontinuous phase transition and two BKT phase transitions meeting in the tricritical point. The tricritical point exhibits a phase transition of the second order with the critical exponents β≈1/10 and δ≈14. We conjecture that an infinitesimal surrounding of the tricritical point consists of the three fundamental phase transitions, in which the first and the BKT orders gradually weaken into the second-order tricritical point.

Susceptibility of Polar Flocks to Spatial Anisotropy.

We study the effect of spatial anisotropy on polar flocks by investigating active q-state clock models in two dimensions. In contrast to the equilibrium case, we find that any amount of anisotropy is asymptotically relevant, drastically altering the phenomenology from that of the rotationally invariant case. All of the well-known physics of the Vicsek model, from giant density fluctuations to microphase separation, is replaced by that of the active Ising model, with short-range correlations and complete phase separation. These changes appear beyond a length scale that diverges in the q→∞ limit, so that the Vicsek-model phenomenology is observed in finite systems for weak enough anisotropy, i.e., sufficiently high q. We provide a scaling argument which explains why anisotropy has such different effects in the passive and active cases.

Neural network flows of low q-state Potts and clock models

It is known that a trained restricted Boltzmann machine (RBM) on the binary Monte Carlo Ising spin configurations, generates a series of iterative reconstructed spin configurations which spontaneously flow and stabilize to the critical point of physical system. Here we construct a variety of neural network (NN) flows using the RBM and (variational) autoencoders, to study the q-state Potts and clock models on the square lattice for q = 2, 3, 4. The NN are trained on Monte Carlo spin configurations at various temperatures. We find that the trained NN flow does develop a stable point that coincides with critical point of the q-state spin models. The behavior of the NN flow is nontrivial and generative, since the training is unsupervised and without any prior knowledge about the critical point and the Hamiltonian of the underlying spin model. Moreover, we find that the convergence of the flow is independent of the types of NNs and spin models, hinting a universal behavior. Our results strengthen the potential applicability of the notion of the NN flow in studying various states of matter and offer additional evidence on the connection with the renormalization group flow.

Short-Range Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless Phase Characterization for the q-State Clock Model.

Beyond the usual ferromagnetic and paramagnetic phases present in spin systems, the usual q-state clock model presents an intermediate vortex state when the number of possible orientations q for the system is greater than or equal to 5. Such vortex states give rise to the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) phase present up to the XY model in the limit . Based on information theory, we present here an analysis of the classical order parameters plus new short-range parameters defined here. Thus, we show that even using the first nearest neighbors spin-spin correlations only, it is possible to distinguish the two transitions presented by this system for q greater than or equal to 5. Moreover, the appearance at relatively low temperature and disappearance of the BKT phase at a rather fix higher temperature is univocally determined by the short-range interactions recognized by the information content of classical and new parameters.

Complete density calculations of q-state Potts and clock models: Reentrance of interface densities under symmetry breaking.

All local bond-state densities are calculated for q-state Potts and clock models in three spatial dimensions, d=3. The calculations are done by an exact renormalization group on a hierarchical lattice, including the density recursion relations, and simultaneously are the Migdal-Kadanoff approximation for the cubic lattice. Reentrant behavior is found in the interface densities under symmetry breaking, in the sense that upon lowering the temperature, the value of the density first increases and then decreases to its zero value at zero temperature. For this behavior, a physical mechanism is proposed. A contrast between the phase transition of the two models is found and explained by alignment and entropy, as the number of states q goes to infinity. For the clock models, the renormalization-group flows of up to 20 energies are used.

Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless transition on regular and Villain types of q-state clock models

We study q-state clock models of regular and Villain types with using cluster-spin updates and observed double transitions in each model. We calculate the correlation ratio and size-dependent correlation length as quantities for characterizing the existence of Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless (BKT) phase and its transitions by large-scale Monte Carlo simulations. We discuss the advantage of correlation ratio in comparison to other commonly used quantities in probing BKT transition. Using finite size scaling of BKT type transition, we estimate transition temperatures and corresponding exponents . The comparison between the results from both types revealed that the existing transitions belong to BKT universality.

Entropy and Mutability for the q-State Clock Model in Small Systems.

In this paper, we revisit the q-state clock model for small systems. We present results for the thermodynamics of the q-state clock model for values from to for small square lattices of , with L ranging from to with free-boundary conditions. Energy, specific heat, entropy, and magnetization were measured. We found that the Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless (BKT)-like transition appears for , regardless of lattice size, while this transition at is lost for ; for , the BKT transition is never present. We present the phase diagram in terms of q that shows the transition from the ferromagnetic (FM) to the paramagnetic (PM) phases at the critical temperature for small systems, and the transition changes such that it is from the FM to the BKT phase for larger systems, while a second phase transition between the BKT and the PM phases occurs at . We also show that the magnetic phases are well characterized by the two-dimensional (2D) distribution of the magnetization values. We made use of this opportunity to carry out an information theory analysis of the time series obtained from Monte Carlo simulations. In particular, we calculated the phenomenological mutability and diversity functions. Diversity characterizes the phase transitions, but the phases are less detectable as q increases. Free boundary conditions were used to better mimic the reality of small systems (far from any thermodynamic limit). The role of size is discussed.

Phase Transition of the q-State Clock Model: Duality and Tensor Renormalization**Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No 11474331.

We investigate the critical behavior and the duality property of the ferromagnetic q-state clock model on the square lattice based on the tensor-network formalism. From the entanglement spectra of local tensors defined in the original and dual lattices, we obtain the exact self-dual points for the model with q ≤ 5 and approximate self-dual points for q ≥ 6. We calculate accurately the lower and upper critical temperatures for the six-state clock model from the fixed-point tensors determined using the higher-order tensor renormalization group method and compare with other numerical results.

Study on the critical properties of thin magnetic films using the clock model

We study the critical behaviour of very thin magnetic films. This system can be described by the q-state clock model. In order to determine the critical exponents of the system when there exists the Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless phase between the two phase transitions, we introduce a new technique for calculating the order parameter. The simulation is performed by very high-resolution Monte Carlo method with including the Wang–Landau algorithm. The results showed that the Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless phase starts to occur when with a small symmetry breaking field. We obtained not only the critical exponents of a common transition at high temperature but also the ones of unclear transition at low temperature.

Phase transition for the dilute clock model

We prove that phase transition occurs in the dilute ferromagnetic nearest-neighbour q-state clock model in Zd, for every q≥2 and d≥2. This follows from the fact that the Edwards–Sokal random-cluster representation of the clock model stochastically dominates a supercritical Bernoulli bond percolation probability, a technique that has been applied to show phase transition for the low-temperature Potts model. The domination involves a combinatorial lemma which is one of the main points of this article.

Stochastic resonance in the two-dimensional q-state clock models.

We numerically study stochastic resonance in the two-dimensional q-state clock models from q=2 to 7 under a weak oscillating magnetic field. As in the mean-field case, we observe double resonance peaks, but the detailed response strongly depends on the direction of the field modulation for q≥5 where the quasiliquid phase emerges. We explain this behavior in terms of free-energy landscapes on the two-dimensional magnetization plane.

Finite-Time and Finite-Size Scaling of the Kuramoto Oscillators

Phase transition in its strict sense can only be observed in an infinite system, for which equilibration takes an infinitely long time at criticality. In numerical simulations, we are often limited both by the finiteness of the system size and by the finiteness of the observation time scale. We propose that one can overcome this barrier by measuring the nonequilibrium temporal relaxation for finite systems and by applying the finite-time-finite-size scaling (FTFSS) which systematically uses two scaling variables, one temporal and the other spatial. The FTFSS method yields a smooth scaling surface, and the conventional finite-size scaling curves can be viewed as proper cross sections of the surface. The validity of our FTFSS method is tested for the synchronization transition of Kuramoto models in the globally coupled structure and in the small-world network structure. Our FTFSS method is also applied to the MonteCarlo dynamics of the globally coupled q-state clock model.

GPU-based Swendsen–Wang multi-cluster algorithm for the simulation of two-dimensional classical spin systems

We present the GPU calculation with the common unified device architecture (CUDA) for the Swendsen–Wang multi-cluster algorithm of two-dimensional classical spin systems. We adjust the two connected component labeling algorithms recently proposed with CUDA for the assignment of the cluster in the Swendsen–Wang algorithm. Starting with the q-state Potts model, we extend our implementation to the system of vector spins, the q-state clock model, with the idea of embedded cluster. We test the performance, and the calculation time on GTX580 is obtained as 2.51 nsec per a spin flip for the q=2 Potts model (Ising model) and 2.42 nsec per a spin flip for the q=6 clock model with the linear size L=4096 at the critical temperature, respectively. The computational speed for the q=2 Potts model on GTX580 is 12.4 times as fast as the calculation speed on a current CPU core. That for the q=6 clock model on GTX580 is 35.6 times as fast as the calculation speed on a current CPU core.

True and quasi-long-range order in the generalizedq-state clock model

From consideration of the order-parameter distribution, we propose an observable which makes a clear distinction between true and quasi-long-range orders in the two-dimensional generalized q-state clock model. Measuring this quantity by Monte Carlo simulations for q=8, we construct a phase diagram and identify critical properties across the phase-separation lines among the true long-range order, quasi-long-range order, and disorder. Our result supports the theoretical prediction that there appears a discontinuous order-disorder transition as soon as the two phase-separation lines merge.

Phase transition ofq-state clock models on heptagonal lattices

We study the q-state clock models on heptagonal lattices assigned on a negatively curved surface. We show that the system exhibits three classes of equilibrium phases; in between ordered and disordered phases, an intermediate phase characterized by a diverging susceptibility with no magnetic order is observed at every q>or=2. The persistence of the third phase for all q is in contrast with the disappearance of the counterpart phase in a planar system for small q, which indicates the significance of nonvanishing surface-volume ratio that is peculiar in the heptagonal lattice. Analytic arguments based on Ginzburg-Landau theory and generalized Cayley trees make clear that the two-stage transition in the present system is attributed to an energy gap of spin-wave excitations and strong boundary-spin contributions. We further demonstrate that boundary effects break the mean-field character in the bulk region, which establishes the consistency with results of clock models on boundary-free hyperbolic lattices.

Cluster Monte Carlo study of the antiferromagneticZ(q)model

A cluster Monte Carlo (MC) updating algorithm is presented for the antiferromagnetic $Z(q)$ model, into which Ising variables are embedded. Using MC simulations combined with the histogram technique, we were able to study the q-state clock model, for $q=5$ and $q=7,$ in $d=2$ and $d=3$ dimensions. The two-dimensional system exhibits a phase transition at temperature $T=0$ for both $q=5$ and $q=7$ system states. The critical exponents were derived as well as the ground state entropy for $T=0.$ Our results for the $q=5$ and the $q=7$ three-dimensional systems show that they exhibit a phase transition at nonzero temperature.