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Le Journal de Physique Colloques

SOLITON STATISTICAL MECHANICS AND THE THERMALISATION OF BIOLOGICAL SOLITONS

R. Bullough, D. J. Pilling, YI CHENG, Yu Chen, JUSSI TIMONEN

Published Mar 1, 1989• 2 citations

Abstract

The calculation of the equilibrium free energy of integrable models like the sine-Gordon and attractive nonlinear Schrödinger models is discussed in the context of biological molecules like DNA : the thermalisation process (approach to equilibrium) is also discussed. The sine-Gordon model has a "repulsive" form which is the sinh-Gordon model. The approach to equilibrium of the sinh-Gordon model is described in all completeness in terms of a quantum mechanical master equation at finite temperatures. Although the dynamical evolution of the master equation as written is a solved problem, only the equilibrium solution is examined in this paper. The equilibrium free energy is calculated exactly as an integral equation for certain excitation energies at finite temperatures. Bose-fermi equivalent forms of this integral equation are given. The bose form yields a similar integral equation in classical limit. The iteration of this yields a low temperature asymptotic series for the classical free energy which checks against the result of the transfer integral method (TIM). Results for the zero temperature quantum eigenenergies are found. A further discussion of the dynamics of the approach to thermal equilbrium is made.

DOI: 10.1051/jphyscol:1989306

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The calculation of the equilibrium free energy of integrable models like the sine-Gordon and attractive nonlinear Schrödinger models is discussed in the context of biological molecules like DNA : the thermalisation process (approach to equilibrium) is also discussed. The sine-Gordon model has a "repulsive" form which is the sinh-Gordon model. The approach to equilibrium of the sinh-Gordon model is described in all completeness in terms of a quantum mechanical master equation at finite temperatures. Although the dynamical evolution of the master equation as written is a solved problem, only the equilibrium solution is examined in this paper. The equilibrium free energy is calculated exactly as an integral equation for certain excitation energies at finite temperatures. Bose-fermi equivalent forms of this integral equation are given. The bose form yields a similar integral equation in classical limit. The iteration of this yields a low temperature asymptotic series for the classical free energy which checks against the result of the transfer integral method (TIM). Results for the zero temperature quantum eigenenergies are found. A further discussion of the dynamics of the approach to thermal equilbrium is made.

We give two fundamental methods for evaluation of classical free energies of all the integrable models admitting soliton solutions; the sine-Gordon equation is one example. Periodic boundary conditions impose integral equations for allowed phonon and soliton momenta. From these, generalized Bethe-Ansatz and functional-integration methods using action-angle variables follow. Results for free energies coincide, and coincide with those that we find by transfer-integral methods. Extension to the quantum case, and quantum Bethe Ansatz, on the lines to be reported elsewhere for the sinh-Gordon equation, is indicated.

We use the quantum Bethe ansatz method to compute the free energy of the sine-Gordon model in the classical limit. In this limit the number of breathers, and hence the number of coupled integral equations to be solved, diverges. By linearizing the breather mass spectrum and phase shifts, extending a method of Maki, we can reduce the breather ladder to anharmonic phonons. The divergent set of integral equations is reduced to only two, for interacting phonons and solitons. We solve these equations iteratively to give the free energy in a double series in the temperature t and the soliton density ${e}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1/t}$ which agrees to high order with classical transfer integral results.

We use the quantum Bethe-Ansatz method to compute the free energy of the classical sine-Gordon system. Previous attempts to do this have failed because the number of coupled integral equations to be solved to find the free-energy diverges in the classical limit. We present a transformation, extending a method of Maki, which reduces this divergent set to only two coupled equations, for the densities of solitons and anharmonic phonons. These equations can be solved iteratively in the temperature

t

and the soliton density ${e}^{\frac{\ensuremath{-}1}{t}}$ to give a double series for the free energy. This series coincides to high order with classical transfer-matrix results.

This paper reviews soliton theories for classical statistical mechanics of the massive-Thirring-sine-Gordon model. These theories attempt not only to reproduce the classical transfer matrix method result but also to provide thermodynamic information about exact nonlinear excitations of the model. Three theories are discussed. Firstly, the soliton–gas phenomenology which is successful in the Toda lattice is shown to be not even approximately correct for the sine-Gordon model. This breakdown is due to the incorrect counting of the number of degrees of freedom. Secondly, the soliton–phonon theory which reproduces the WKB result is also shown to be not exact. This non-exactness is ascribed to the fact that the nonlinear phonons are not exact elementary excitations in the model. Thirdly, a non-gas phenomenological soliton–breather theory is derived as a classical limit of quantum statistical mechanics of the model. The exactness of the last theory is demonstrated through an accurate numerical analysis of its basic equations.

The integrability of a quantum sine-Gordon model allows finite densities of zero binding energy 'bound states' at finite temperatures for certain values of the coupling constant. At these same coupling strengths, the usual Yang and Yang formulation (1969) of Bethe ansatz thermodynamics appears to predict discontinuities in some elementary excitation masses, for example solitons. This is examined in two limits-free fermions and free bosons. The apparent discontinuity turns out to be an artefact of the formalism, common to all cases where zero binding energy bound states exist.