The Nonintrinsic Sector of Landau Theory
Statistical Mechanics
2026-03-24 v1
Abstract
Landau theory usually treats free-energy coefficients as intrinsic parameters fixed by thermodynamic variables. We show that externally written microscale fields can survive coarse graining and enter the free-energy functional as spatially prescribed coefficient fields. This defines a nonintrinsic sector of Landau theory. The key condition is a hierarchy of correlation, writing, and frustration lengths. We identify ion-patterned FeRh as a plausible realization.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2603.22038,
title = {The Nonintrinsic Sector of Landau Theory},
author = {Trey Li},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2603.22038},
year = {2026}
}