Third-order Phase Transition Research Articles

Plasma-Plasma Third Order Phase Transition from Type IIB Supergravity.

We show that the planar, charged black hole in asymptotically anti-de Sitter spacetime, dual to the strongly coupled quark-gluon plasma thermal state of large N, SU(N), N=4 super Yang-Mills at finite chemical potential undergoes a third-order phase transition in the grand canonical ensemble to a hairy black hole of type IIB supergravity. The hairy phase is another strongly coupled fluid with a conformal equation of state and can be interpreted as another kind of quark-gluon plasma. This new quark-gluon plasma has less entropy and, therefore, seems to characterize some form of smooth hadronization. The locus of the transition in terms of the critical values of the "baryon" chemical potential μ_{c} and the temperature T_{c} is μ_{c}=2πT_{c}.

Full counting statistics of 1d short range Riesz gases in confinement

We investigate the full counting statistics of a harmonically confined 1d short range Riesz gas consisting of N particles in equilibrium at finite temperature. The particles interact with each other through a repulsive power-law interaction with an exponent k > 1 which includes the Calogero–Moser model for k = 2. We examine the probability distribution of the number of particles in a finite domain [−W,W] called number distribution, denoted by N(W,N) . We analyze the probability distribution of N(W,N) and show that it exhibits a large deviation form for large N characterized by a speed N3k+2k+2 and by a large deviation function (LDF) of the fraction c=N(W,N)/N of the particles inside the domain and W. We show that the density profiles that create the large deviations display interesting shape transitions as one varies c and W. This is manifested by a third-order phase transition exhibited by the LDF that has discontinuous third derivatives. Monte–Carlo simulations based on Metropolis–Hashtings (MH) algorithm show good agreement with our analytical expressions for the corresponding density profiles. We find that the typical fluctuations of N(W,N) , obtained from our field theoretic calculations are Gaussian distributed with a variance that scales as Nνk , with νk=(2−k)/(2+k) . We also present some numerical findings on the mean and the variance. Furthermore, we adapt our formalism to study the index distribution (where the domain is semi-infinite (−∞,W]) , linear statistics (the variance), thermodynamic pressure and bulk modulus.

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

Current fluctuations in stochastically resetting particle systems.

We consider a system of noninteracting particles on a line with initial positions distributed uniformly with density ρ on the negative half-line. We consider two different models: (i) Each particle performs independent Brownian motion with stochastic resetting to its initial position with rate r and (ii) each particle performs run-and-tumble motion, and with rate r its position gets reset to its initial value and simultaneously its velocity gets randomized. We study the effects of resetting on the distribution P(Q,t) of the integrated particle current Q up to time t through the origin (from left to right). We study both the annealed and the quenched current distributions and in both cases, we find that resetting induces a stationary limiting distribution of the current at long times. However, we show that the approach to the stationary state of the current distribution in the annealed and the quenched cases are drastically different for both models. In the annealed case, the whole distribution P_{an}(Q,t) approaches its stationary limit uniformly for all Q. In contrast, the quenched distribution P_{qu}(Q,t) attains its stationary form for Q<Q_{crit}(t), while it remains time dependent for Q>Q_{crit}(t). We show that Q_{crit}(t) increases linearly with t for large t. On the scale where Q∼Q_{crit}(t), we show that P_{qu}(Q,t) has an unusual large deviation form with a rate function that has a third-order phase transition at the critical point. We have computed the associated rate functions analytically for both models. Using an importance sampling method that allows to probe probabilities as tiny as 10^{-14000}, we were able to compute numerically this nonanalytic rate function for the resetting Brownian dynamics and found excellent agreement with our analytical prediction.

JT Gravity, Random Matrix Theory and Third-Order Phase Transition

JT Gravity, Random Matrix Theory and Third-Order Phase Transition

Reduced basis emulation of pairing in finite systems

In recent years, reduced basis methods (RBMs) have been adapted to the many-body eigenvalue problem and they have been used, largely in nuclear physics, as fast emulators able to bypass expensive direct computations while still providing highly accurate results. This work is meant to show that the RBM is an efficient and accurate emulator for the strong correlations induced by the pairing interaction in a variety of finite systems like ultrasmall superconducting grains, interacting topological superfluids and mesoscopic hybrid superconductor-semiconductor devices, all of which require an expensive, beyond-mean-field, particle-number conserving description. These systems are modelled by the number-conserving Richardson pairing Hamiltonian and its appropriate generalizations. Their ground state is solved for exactly using the Density Matrix Renormalization Group. The reduced basis is assembled iteratively from a small number of exact ground state vectors, well-chosen from across the relevant parameter space using a fast estimate of the emulation error and a greedy local optimization algorithm. The reduced basis emulation is found to accurately describe the weak-to-strong pairing cross-over in small grains, the third-order topological phase transition of the interacting Richardson-Kitaev chain, and the complex charge stability diagram of a hybrid quantum dot - superconductor device. RBMs are thus confirmed to be cheap and accurate emulators for the widely encountered superconducting phenomena. Capable of providing orders of magnitude computational speed-up with respect to approaches based only on traditional many-body solvers, they open new possibilities in building and solving models of interacting many-body systems and in better interfacing them with experimental design and data analysis.

Topological correlations in three-dimensional classical Ising models: An exact solution with a continuous phase transition

We study a three-dimensional (3D) classical Ising model that is exactly solvable when some coupling constants take certain imaginary values. The solution combines and generalizes the Onsager-Kaufman solution [L. Onsager, Phys. Rev. 65, 117 (1944); B. Kaufman, Phys. Rev. 76, 1232 (1949)] of the 2D Ising model and the solution of Kitaev's honeycomb model [A. Kitaev, Ann. Phys, 321, 2 (2006)], leading to a three-parameter phase diagram with a third-order phase transition between two distinct phases. Interestingly, the phases of this model are distinguished by topological features: the expectation value of a certain family of loop observables depend only on the topology of the loop (whether the loop is contractible), and are quantized at rational values that differ in the two phases. We show that a related exactly solvable 3D classical statistical model with real coupling constants also shows the topological features of one of these phases. Furthermore, even in the model with complex parameters, the partition function has some physical relevance, as it can be interpreted as the transition amplitude of a quantum dynamical process and may shed light on dynamical quantum phase transitions.

Holographic Rényi entropies from hyperbolic black holes with scalar hair

The Rényi entropies as a generalization of the entanglement entropy imply much more information. We analytically calculate the Rényi entropies (with a spherical entangling surface) by means of a class of neutral hyperbolic black holes with scalar hair as a one-parameter generalization of the MTZ black hole. The zeroth-order and third-order phase transitions of black holes lead to discontinuity of the Rényi entropies and their second derivatives, respectively. From the Rényi entropies that are analytic at n = ∞, we can express the entanglement spectrum as an infinite sum in terms of the Bell polynomials. We show that the analytic treatment is in agreement with numerical calculations for the low-lying entanglement spectrum in a wide range of parameters.

The phase diagram of Toverline{T} -deformed Yang-Mills theory on the sphere

We study the large-N dynamics of Toverline{T} -deformed two-dimensional Yang-Mills theory at genus zero. The 1/N-expansion of the free energy is obtained by exploiting the associated flow equation and the complete phase diagram of the theory is derived for both signs of the rescaled deformation parameter τ. We observe a third-order phase transition driven by instanton condensation, which is the deformed version of the familiar Douglas-Kazakov transition separating the weakly-coupled from the strongly-coupled phase. By studying these phases, we compute the deformation of both the perturbative sector and the Gross-Taylor string expansion. Nonperturbative corrections in τ drive the system into an unexplored disordered phase separated by a novel critical line meeting tangentially the Douglas-Kazakov one at a tricritical point. The associated phase transition is induced by the collision of large-N saddle points, determining its second-order character.

Explosive transitions in epidemic dynamics

Standard epidemic models exhibit one continuous, second order phase transition to macroscopic outbreaks. However, interventions to control outbreaks may fundamentally alter epidemic dynamics. Here we reveal how such interventions modify the type of phase transition. In particular, we uncover three distinct types of explosive phase transitions for epidemic dynamics with capacity-limited interventions. Depending on the capacity limit, interventions may (i) leave the standard second order phase transition unchanged but exponentially suppress the probability of large outbreaks, (ii) induce a first-order discontinuous transition to macroscopic outbreaks, or (iii) cause a secondary explosive yet continuous third-order transition. These insights highlight inherent limitations in predicting and containing epidemic outbreaks. More generally our study offers a cornerstone example of a third-order explosive phase transition in complex systems.

Comparative Study on the Models of Thermoreversible Gelation.

A critical survey on the various theoretical models of thermoreversible gelation, such as the droplet model of condensation, associated-particle model, site–bond percolation model, and adhesive hard sphere model, is presented, with a focus on the nature of the phase transition predicted by them. On the basis of the classical tree statistics of gelation, combined with a thermodynamic theory of associating polymer solutions, it is shown that, within the mean-field description, the thermoreversible gelation of polyfunctional molecules is a third-order phase transition analogous to the Bose–Einstein condensation of an ideal Bose gas. It is condensation without surface tension. The osmotic compressibility is continuous, but its derivative with respect to the concentration of the functional molecule reveals a discontinuity at the sol–gel transition point. The width of the discontinuity is directly related to the amplitude of the divergent term in the weight-average molecular weight of the cross-linked three-dimensional polymers. The solution remains homogeneous in the position space, but separates into two phases in the momentum space; particles with finite translational momentum (sol) and a network with zero translational momentum (gel) coexist in a spatially homogeneous state. Experimental methods used to detect the singularity at the sol–gel transition point are suggested.

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.

Edge fluctuations and third-order phase transition in harmonically confined long-range systems

We study the distribution of the position of the rightmost particle x max in a N-particle Riesz gas in one dimension confined in a harmonic trap. The particles interact via long-range repulsive potential, of the form r −k with −2 < k < ∞ where r is the inter-particle distance. In equilibrium at temperature O(1), the gas settles on a finite length scale L N that depends on N and k. We numerically observe that the typical fluctuation of y max = x max/L N around its mean is of . Over this length scale, the distribution of the typical fluctuations has a N independent scaling form. We show that the exponent η k obtained from the Hessian theory predicts the scale of typical fluctuations remarkably well. The distribution of atypical fluctuations to the left and right of the mean ⟨y max⟩ are governed by the left and right large deviation functions (LDFs), respectively. We compute these LDFs explicitly ∀ k > −2. We also find that these LDFs describe a pulled to pushed type phase transition as observed in Dyson’s log-gas (k → 0) and 1d one component plasma (k = −1). Remarkably, we find that the phase transition remains third order for the entire regime. Our results demonstrate the striking universality of the third order transition even in models that fall outside the paradigm of Coulomb systems and the random matrix theory. We numerically verify our analytical expressions of the LDFs via Monte Carlo simulation using an importance sampling algorithm.

Perturbation of multi-critical unitary matrix models, double scaling limits, and Argyres-Douglas theories

Using the saddle point method, we give an explicit form of the planar free energy and Wilson loops of unitary matrix models in the one-cut regime. The multi-critical unitary matrix models are shown to undergo third-order phase transitions at two points by studying the planar free energy. One of these ungapped/gapped phase transitions is multi-critical, while the other is not multi-critical. The spectral curve of the k-th multi-critical matrix model exhibits an A4k−1 singularity at the multi-critical point. Perturbation around the multi-critical point and its double scaling limit are studied. In order to take the double scaling limit, the perturbed coupling constants should be fine-tuned such that all the zero points of the spectral curve approach to the A4k−1 singular point. The fine-tuning is examined in the one-cut regime, and the scaling behavior of the perturbed couplings is determined. It is shown that the double scaling limit of the spectral curve is isomorphic to the Seiberg-Witten curve of the Argyres-Douglas theory of type (A1,A4k−1).

Phase separation in high-T c cuprates

We develop a minimal non-BCS model for the CuO2 planes with the on-site Hilbert space reduced to only three effective valence centers CuO4 with different charge, conventional spin, and orbital symmetry, combined in a charge triplet, to describe the low-energy electron structure and the phase states of HTSC cuprates. Using the S = 1 pseudospin algebra we introduce an effective spin-pseudospin Hamiltonian which takes into account local and nonlocal correlations, one- and two-particle transport, and spin exchange. The T-n phase diagrams of the complete spin-pseudospin model for the CuO2 planes were reproduced by means of a site-dependent variational approach within effective field approximation typical for spin-magnetic systems. Limiting ourselves to two-sublattice approximation and nn-couplings we arrived at several Néel-like phases in CuO2 planes for parent and doped systems with a single nonzero local order parameter: antiferromagnetic insulator, charge order, glueless d-wave Bose superfluid phase, and unusual metallic phase. However, the Maxwell’s construction shows the global minimum of free energy is realized for phase separated states which are bounded by the third-order phase transition line T*(n), which is believed to be responsible for the onset of the pseudogap phenomenon.

Truncated linear statistics in the one dimensional one-component plasma

In this paper, we study the probability distribution of the observable , with 1 ⩽ N′ ⩽ N and x 1 < x 2 <⋯< x N representing the ordered positions of N particles in a 1D one-component plasma, i.e. N harmonically confined charges on a line, with pairwise repulsive 1D Coulomb interaction |x i − x j |. This observable represents an example of a truncated linear statistics—here proportional to the center of mass of the N′ = κN (with 0 < κ ⩽ 1), rightmost particles. It interpolates between the position of the rightmost particle (in the limit κ → 0) and the full center of mass (in the limit κ → 1). We show that, for large N, s fluctuates around its mean ⟨s⟩ and the typical fluctuations are Gaussian, of width O(N −3/2). The atypical large fluctuations of s, for fixed κ, are instead described by a large deviation form , where the rate function ϕ κ (s) is computed analytically. We show that ϕ κ (s) takes different functional forms in five distinct regions in the (κ, s) plane separated by phase boundaries, thus leading to a rich phase diagram in the (κ, s) plane. Across all the phase boundaries the rate function ϕ κ (s) undergoes a third-order phase transition. This rate function is also evaluated numerically using a sophisticated importance sampling method, and we find a perfect agreement with our analytical predictions.

Toverline{T} -deformed 2D Yang-Mills at large N: collective field theory and phase transitions

We consider the Toverline{T} deformation of 2d large N YM theory on a cylinder, sphere and disk. The collective field theory Hamiltonian for the deformed theory is derived and the particular solutions to the equations of motion of the collective theory are found for the sphere. The account of the non-perturbative branch of the solution amounts to the first-order phase transition at the (A, τ) plane. We analyze the third-order phase transition in the deformed theory on the disk and derive the critical area as a function of the boundary holonomy. A kind of Hagedorn behavior in the spectral density is discussed.

Deformed Cauchy random matrix ensembles and large N phase transitions

We study a new hermitian one-matrix model containing a logarithmic Penner’s type term and another term, which can be obtained as a limit from logarithmic terms. For small coupling, the potential has an absolute minimum at the origin, but beyond a certain value of the coupling the potential develops a double well. For a higher critical value of the coupling, the system undergoes a large N third-order phase transition.

Exact solvability and asymptotic aspects of generalized XX0 spin chains

Building on our earlier work (Saeedian et al. 2018), we introduce and study generalized XX0 models. We explicitly construct a long-range interacting spin chain, referred to as the Selberg model, and study the correlation functions of the Selberg and XX0 models. Using a matrix integral representation of the generalized XX0 model and applying asymptotic analysis in non-intersecting Brownian motion, the phase structure of the Selberg model is determined. We find that tails of the Tracy–Widom distribution, of Gaussian unitary ensemble, govern a discrete-to-continuous third-order phase transition in Selberg model. The same method also reproduces the Gross–Witten phase transition of the original XX0 model. Finally, we conjecture universal features for the phase structure of the generalized XX0 model.

Toric quiver asymptotics and Mahler measure: mathcal{N}=2 BPS states

The BPS sector in mathcal{N}=2 , four-dimensional toric quiver gauge theories has previously been studied using the crystal melting model and dimer model. We introduce the Mahler measure associated with the statistical dimer model to study the large N limit of these quiver gauge theories. In this limit, the generating function of BPS states in a general toric quiver theory is studied and entropy, growth rate of BPS states and free energy of the quiver are obtained in terms of the Mahler measure. Moreover, a possible third-order phase transition in toric quivers is discussed. Explicit computations of the profile function, entropy density, BPS growth rate and phase structure of quivers are presented in concrete examples of the clover ℂ3, and resolved conifold mathcal{C} quivers. Finally, BPS growth rates of Hirzebruch mathbb{F} 0, and ℂ3/ℤ2 × ℤ2 orbifold quivers are obtained and a possible interpretation of the results for certain BPS black holes is discussed.