Related papers: Coarse graining and first order phase transitions
We study first- and second-order phase transitions of ferromagnetic lattice models on scale-free networks, with a degree exponent $\gamma$. Using the example of the $q$-state Potts model we derive a general self-consistency relation within…
A theoretical framework is developed to study the dynamics of protein folding. The key insight is that the search for the native protein conformation is influenced by the rate r at which external parameters, such as temperature, chemical…
We introduce and study the disordered Dicke model in which the spin-boson couplings are drawn from a random distribution with some finite width. Regarding the quantum phase transition we show that when the standard deviation $\sigma$ of the…
The issue of the thermalization of an isolated quantum system is addressed by considering a perfect gas confined by gravity and initially trapped above a certain height. As we are interested in the behavior of truly isolated systems, we…
The mean-field optical phase transition in multimode equal-coupling photonic networks is studied by temporal evolution of the nonlinear equations of motion of the coupled modes. Analogies to statistical mechanics models of interacting…
Percolation in systems made up of randomly placed impermeable grains is often examined in the context of system spanning clusters of connected solids forming above a relatively low critical grain density $\rho_{c1}$ or networks of…
We examine the first-order cosmological QCD phase transition for a large class of parameter values, previously considered unlikely. We find that the hadron bubbles can nucleate at very large distance scales, they can grow as detonations as…
We consider the fate of the Wigner crystal state in a two dimensional system of massive Dirac electrons as the effective fine structure constant $\alpha$ is increased. In a Dirac system, larger $\alpha$ naively corresponds to stronger…
We calculate the lowest-order non-linear contributions to the power spectrum, two-point correlation function, and smoothed variance of the density field, for Gaussian initial conditions and scale-free initial power spectra, $P(k) \sim k^n$.…
We examine the statistical mechanics of a 1-dimensional gas of both adjoint and fundamental representation quarks which interact with each other through 1+1-dimensional U(N) gauge fields. Using large-N expansion we show that, when the…
We show that the equilibrium interfaces in the disordered phase have critical percolation fractal dimension over a wide range of length scales. We confirm that the system falls out of equilibrium at a temperature that depends on the cooling…
First order phase transitions are described in terms of the microcanonical and canonical ensemble, with special attention to finite size effects. Difficulties in interpreting a "caloric curve" are discussed. A robust parameter indicating…
The most important recent results in the theory of phase transitions and quantum effects in quantum anharmonic crystals are presented and discussed. In particular, necessary and sufficient conditions for a phase transition to occur at some…
We study the ground-state properties of a system of identical classical Coulombic point particles, evenly distributed between two equivalently charged parallel plates at distance $d$; the system as a whole is electroneutral. It was…
We review a few representative examples of granular experiments or models where phase separation, accompanied by domain coarsening, is a relevant phenomenon. We first elucidate the intrinsic non-equilibrium, or athermal, nature of granular…
We study first-order electroweak phase transitions nonperturbatively, assuming any particles beyond the Standard Model are sufficiently heavy to be integrated out at the phase transition. Utilising high temperature dimensional reduction, we…
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…
A stability analysis of a spherically symmetric star in scalar-tensor theories of gravity is given in terms of the frequencies of quasi-normal modes. The scalar-tensor theories have a scalar field which is related to gravitation. There is…
First order quantum phase transitions (1QPTs) are signaled, in the thermodynamic limit, by discontinuous changes in the ground state properties. These discontinuities affect expectation values of observables, including spatial correlations.…
Astrophysical indications that the fine structure constant has undergone a small time variation during the cosmological evolution are discussed within the framework of the standard model of the electroweak and strong interactions and of…