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Finite-Size Scaling and Efiective Lagrangian Theory⁄

C. J. Hamer

Published Jul 9, 2015• 0 citations
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Abstract

A brief review is given of the ‘efiective Lagrangian ’ approach of Leutwyler, Hasenfratz and others, which describes the behaviour at low energies or temperatures, or large distances, in lattice systems which undergo a flrst-order transition involving spontaneous breakdown of a continuous symmetry. Universal predictions can be given, based on a continuum fleld theory of the massless Goldstone bosons generated by the breakdown of the symmetry, which control the behaviour in these regimes. In particular, the flnite-size scaling behaviour can be predicted, in a way very similar to the predictions of conformal invariance for a two-dimensional system at a critical point. Conversely, measurements of the flnite-size scaling behaviour can give estimates of the parameters of the Goldstone bosons. These points are illustrated using data for the O(2) Heisenberg spin model in (2+1) dimensions, and the XXZ antiferromagnet on a square lattice. 1.

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A brief review is given of the ‘efiective Lagrangian ’ approach of Leutwyler, Hasenfratz and others, which describes the behaviour at low energies or temperatures, or large distances, in lattice systems which undergo a flrst-order transition involving spontaneous breakdown of a continuous symmetry. Universal predictions can be given, based on a continuum fleld theory of the massless Goldstone bosons generated by the breakdown of the symmetry, which control the behaviour in these regimes. In particular, the flnite-size scaling behaviour can be predicted, in a way very similar to the predictions of conformal invariance for a two-dimensional system at a critical point. Conversely, measurements of the flnite-size scaling behaviour can give estimates of the parameters of the Goldstone bosons. These points are illustrated using data for the O(2) Heisenberg spin model in (2+1) dimensions, and the XXZ antiferromagnet on a square lattice. 1.
A brief review is given of the ‘effective Lagrangian’ approach of Leutwyler, Hasenfratz and others, which describes the behaviour at low energies or temperatures, or large distances, in lattice systems which undergo a first-order transition involving spontaneous breakdown of a continuous symmetry. Universal predictions can be given, based on a continuum field theory of the massless Goldstone bosons generated by the breakdown of the symmetry, which control the behaviour in these regimes. In particular, the finite-size scaling behaviour can be predicted, in a way very similar to the predictions of conformal invariance for a two-dimensional system at a critical point. Conversely, measurements of the finite-size scaling behaviour can give estimates of the parameters of the Goldstone bosons. These points are illustrated using data for the O(2) Heisenberg spin model in (2+1) dimensions, and the XXZ antiferromagnet on a square lattice.
Finite-size scaling for a first-order phase transition where a continuous symmetry is broken is developed using an approximation of Gaussian probability distributions with a phenomenological "degeneracy" factor included. Predictions are compared with data from Monte Carlo simulations of the three-dimensional, XXZ Heisenberg antiferromagnet in a field in order to study the finite-size behavior on a L×L×L simple cubic lattice for the first-order "spin-flop" transition between the Ising-like antiferromagnetic state and the canted, XY-like state. Our theory predicts that for large linear dimension L the field dependence of all moments of the order parameters as well as the fourth-order cumulants exhibit universal intersections. Corrections to leading order should scale as the inverse volume. The values of these intersections at the spin-flop transition point can be expressed in terms of a factor q that characterizes the relative degeneracy of the ordered phases. Our theory yields q=π, and we present numerical evidence that is compatible with this prediction. The agreement between the theory and simulation implies a heretofore unknown universality can be invoked for first-order phase transitions.
For pt.I see ibid., vol.14, p.241-57 (1981). Two efficient methods for finding the low-lying states of Hamiltonians on finite lattices are described. The first involves constructing a finite representation of the Hamiltonian using strong-coupling eigenstates, while the second is based on the Lanczos recursion method. The methods are used to determine the mass gap of the O(2) and O(3) Heisenberg Hamiltonians in (1+1) dimensions for a sequence of finite chains. The critical behaviour of the infinite chain is then analysed by extrapolating the finite-lattice estimates using finite-size scaling. A remarkably sensitive test is developed for the presence of a phase transition. For the O(2) model data this test yields strong evidence for a phase transition with the weak-coupling phase massless, while, in the O(3) case the test supports, although more weakly, the absence of any transition.
Algebraically decaying interactions ∼1/rd+σ\sim 1/r^{d+σ}∼1/rd+σ can lead to nontrivial universality beyond short-range (SR) theories and spontaneous symmetry breaking in low-dimensional systems. We perform large-scale Monte Carlo simulations for the classical long-range (LR) Heisenberg model in two dimensions (2D) up to linear size L=8192L=8192L=8192. We show that the system enters a long-range-ordered phase through a single continuous phase transition for all σ≤2σ\leq 2σ≤2, including the marginal case σ=2σ=2σ=2. In contrast, for σ>2σ> 2σ>2 it recovers the SR asymptotically free behavior with no finite-temperature transition. This places the LR--SR crossover threshold at σ∗=2σ_* = 2σ∗​=2. To characterize the ordered phase, we introduce an LR simple random walk with a fixed total length L∼O(Ld)\mathcal{L} \sim\mathcal{O}(L^d)L∼O(Ld). This fixed-L\mathcal LL walk reproduces the finite-size scaling of the Goldstone-mode fluctuations in the LR Heisenberg model in both two and three dimensions, including the logarithmic scaling at σ=2σ= 2σ=2. These results further motivate a general criterion for the existence of finite-temperature long-range order in LR systems with continuous symmetry in any spatial dimension.
This article outlines a tutorial review of some recent progress in the theory of phase transitions and criticality. Topics mentioned are: |φ|6 field theories in (d=3)-dimensional space which correspond to the limits of tricriticality in spherical models; the desirability of finding real systems displaying critical endpoints, etc., in a magnetic field; scaling theories for first-order magnetic transitions in block and cylinder geometries, including spin-wave contributions, ϵ=4 - d expansions for finite-size effects at and near criticality; the universal correlation length amplitude for critical-point correlations in a finite cylinder and its evaluation in d = 2 dimensions on the basis of conformal covariance; the predictions of conformal covariance for other finite-size and surface critical-point properties; the implications, stemming from field theory, of conformal covariance and unitarity for general criticality in two dimensions, including infinitely many sets of exact critical exponents for Ising-like, three-state Potts-like, … systems; the discovery of new, exactly soluble two-dimensional, “restricted solid-on-solid” models which display all the predicted conformally covariant multicritical points and a second infinite set as well!