Related papers: A phase transition in commuting Gaussian multi-mat…
We study large $N$ phase transitions in $\mathcal{N}=2$ theories with gauge group $SU(N)$ and massive hypermultiplets in diverse representations. Using supersymmetric localization we identify cases where phase transitions occur. In…
We present, theoretical predictions and Monte Carlo simulations, for a simple three matrix model that exhibits an exotic phase transition. The nature of the transition is very different if approached from the high or low temperature side.…
Some recent work on the thermodynamic behavior of the matrix model of M-theory on a pp-wave background is reviewed. We examine a weak coupling limit where computations can be done explicitly. In the large N limit, we find a phase transition…
We study phase transitions in $SU(\infty)$ gauge theories at nonzero temperature using matrix models. Our basic assumption is that the effective potential is dominated by double trace terms for the Polyakov loops. As a function of the…
Phase transitions generically occur in random matrix models as the parameters in the joint probability distribution of the random variables are varied. They affect all main features of the theory and the interpretation of statistical models…
It is pointed out that phase structures of gauge theories compactified on non-simply connected spaces are not trivial. As a demonstration, an SU(2) gauge model on $M^3\otimes S^1$ is studied and is shown to possess three phases: Hosotani,…
We analyze the possible quantum phase transition patterns occurring within the $O(N) \times {\mathbb{Z}_2}$ scalar multi-field model at vanishing temperatures in $(1+1)$-dimensions. The physical masses associated with the two coupled scalar…
A class of large N SU(N) gauge theories on a compact manifold S^3 X R (with possible inclusion of adjoint matter) is known to show first order deconfinement transition at the deconfinement temperature. This includes the familiar example of…
We study the three-dimensional (3D) compact U(1) lattice gauge theory coupled with $N$-flavor Higgs fields by means of the Monte Carlo simulations. This model is relevant to multi-component superconductors, antiferromagnetic spin systems in…
In recent years, quantum phase transitions have attracted the interest of both theorists and experimentalists in condensed matter physics. These transitions, which are accessed at zero temperature by variation of a non-thermal control…
We study the deconfining phase transition at nonzero temperature in a SU(N) gauge theory, using a matrix model which was analyzed previously at small N. We show that the model is soluble at infinite N, and exhibits a Gross-Witten-Wadia…
Various phase transitions in models for coupled charge-density waves are investigated by means of the $\epsilon$-expansion, mean-field theory, and Monte Carlo simulations. At zero temperature the effective action for the system with…
Two-scalar theories at high temperature exhibit a rich spectrum of possible critical behaviour, with a second or first order phase transition. In the vicinity of the critical temperature one can observe critical exponents, tricritical…
Considering one-dimensional nonminimally-coupled lattice gauge theories, a class of nonlocal one-dimensional systems is presented, which exhibits a phase transition. It is shown that the transition has a latent heat, and, therefore, is a…
In this conference proceeding, I discuss in detail the deconfinement to quark matter that takes place at large densities and/or temperatures. The first-order phase transition that is assumed to appear beyond a critical point gives rise to…
We study the thermal phase transitions of a generic real scalar field, without a $Z_2$-symmetry, referred to variously as an inert, sterile or singlet scalar, or $\phi^3+\phi^4$ theory. Such a scalar field arises in a wide range of models,…
We discuss the nature of phase transitions in self-gravitating systems both in the microcanonical and in the canonical ensemble. We avoid the divergence of the gravitational potential at short distances by considering the case of…
We investigate the different large $N$ phases of a generalized Gross-Witten-Wadia $U(N)$ matrix model. The deformation mimics the one-loop determinant of fermion matter with a particular coupling to gauge fields. In one version of the…
We study the maximally supersymmetric plane wave matrix model (the BMN model) at finite temperature, $T$, and locate the high temperature phase boundary in the $(\mu,T)$ plane, where $\mu$ is the mass parameter. We find the first…
One of the most fundamental questions we can ask about a given gauge theory is its phase diagram. In the standard model, we observe three fundamentally different types of behavior: QCD is in a confined phase at zero temperature, while the…