Quantum description of spherical spins

The spherical model for spins describes ferromagnetic phase transitions well, but it fails at low temperatures. A quantum version of the spherical model is proposed. It does not induce qualitative changes near the phase transition. However, it produces a physical low temperature behavior. The entropy is non-negative. Model parameters can be adapted to the description of real quantum spins. Several applications are discussed. Zero-temperature quantum phase transitions are analyzed for a ferromagnet and a spin glass in a transversal field. Their crossover exponents are presented.Comment: 4 pages postscript. Revised version, to appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Polarised target for Drell-Yan experiment in COMPASS at CERN, part I

In the polarised Drell-Yan experiment at the COMPASS facility in CERN pion beam with momentum of 190 GeV/c and intensity about $10^8$ pions/s interacted with transversely polarised NH$_3$ target. Muon pairs produced in Drel-Yan process were detected. The measurement was done in 2015 as the 1st ever polarised Drell-Yan fixed target experiment. The hydrogen nuclei in the solid-state NH$_3$ were polarised by dynamic nuclear polarisation in 2.5 T field of large-acceptance superconducting magnet. Large helium dilution cryostat was used to cool the target down below 100 mK. Polarisation of hydrogen nuclei reached during the data taking was about 80 %. Two oppositely polarised target cells, each 55 cm long and 4 cm in diameter were used. Overview of COMPASS facility and the polarised target with emphasis on the dilution cryostat and magnet is given. Results of the polarisation measurement in the Drell-Yan run and overviews of the target material, cell and dynamic nuclear polarisation system are given in the part II.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, Proceedings of the 22nd International Spin Symposium, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, USA, 25-30 September 201

Field Theory Entropy, the HH-theorem and the Renormalization Group

We consider entropy and relative entropy in Field theory and establish relevant monotonicity properties with respect to the couplings. The relative entropy in a field theory with a hierarchy of renormalization group fixed points ranks the fixed points, the lowest relative entropy being assigned to the highest multicritical point. We argue that as a consequence of a generalized $H$ theorem Wilsonian RG flows induce an increase in entropy and propose the relative entropy as the natural quantity which increases from one fixed point to another in more than two dimensions.Comment: 25 pages, plain TeX (macros included), 6 ps figures. Addition in title. Entropy of cutoff Gaussian model modified in section 4 to avoid a divergence. Therefore, last figure modified. Other minor changes to improve readability. Version to appear in Phys. Rev.

A generalized spherical version of the Blume-Emery-Griffits model with ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions

We have investigated analitycally the phase diagram of a generalized spherical version of the Blume-Emery-Griffiths model that includes ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic spin interactions as well as quadrupole interactions in zero and nonzero magnetic field. We show that in three dimensions and zero magnetic field a regular paramagnetic-ferromagnetic (PM-FM) or a paramagnetic-antiferromagnetic (PM-AFM) phase transition occurs whenever the magnetic spin interactions dominate over the quadrupole interactions. However, when spin and quadrupole interactions are important, there appears a reentrant FM-PM or AFM-PM phase transition at low temperatures, in addition to the regular PM-FM or PM-AFM phase transitions. On the other hand, in a nonzero homogeneous external magnetic field $H$, we find no evidence of a transition to the state with spontaneous magnetization for FM interactions in three dimensions. Nonethelesss, for AFM interactions we do get a scenario similar to that described above for zero external magnetic field, except that the critical temperatures are now functions of $H$. We also find two critical field values, $H_{c1}$, at which the reentrance phenomenon dissapears and $H_{c2}$ ($H_{c1}\approx 0.5H_{c2}$), above which the PM-AFM transition temperature vanishes.Comment: 21 pages, 6 figs. Title changed, abstract and introduction as well as section IV were rewritten relaxing the emphasis on spin S=1 and Figs. 5 an 6 were improved in presentation. However, all the results remain valid. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Exactly solvable model of a quantum spin glass

A mean field spherical model with random couplings between pairs, quartets, and possibly higher multiplets of spins is considered. It has the same critical behavior as the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick model. It thus exhibits replica symmetry breaking. The order parameter function is solved exactly in the whole low temperature phase. The zero field cooled susceptibility remains finite at low $T$. Next a quantum version of the system is considered. Whereas the magnetic properties are not altered qualitatively, the thermodynamics is now regular at small temperatures.Comment: 4 pages postscript. Revised version, to appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Avoided Critical Behavior in O(n) Systems

Long-range frustrating interactions, even if their strength is infinitesimal, can give rise to a dramatic proliferations of ground or near-ground states. As a consequence, the ordering temperature can exhibit a discontinuous drop as a function of the frustration. A simple model of the doped Mott insulator, where the short-range tendency of the holes to phase separate competes with long-range Coulomb effects, exhibits this "avoided critical" behavior. This model may serve as a paradigm for many other systems.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Dimensional Crossover in the Large N Limit

We consider dimensional crossover for an $O(N)$ Landau-Ginzburg-Wilson model on a $d$-dimensional film geometry of thickness $L$ in the large $N$-limit. We calculate the full universal crossover scaling forms for the free energy and the equation of state. We compare the results obtained using ``environmentally friendly'' renormalization with those found using a direct, non-renormalization group approach. A set of effective critical exponents are calculated and scaling laws for these exponents are shown to hold exactly, thereby yielding non-trivial relations between the various thermodynamic scaling functions.Comment: 25 pages of PlainTe

Condensation vs. phase-ordering in the dynamics of first order transitions

The origin of the non commutativity of the limits $t \to \infty$ and $N \to \infty$ in the dynamics of first order transitions is investigated. In the large-N model, i.e. $N \to \infty$ taken first, the low temperature phase is characterized by condensation of the large wave length fluctuations rather than by genuine phase-ordering as when $t \to \infty$ is taken first. A detailed study of the scaling properties of the structure factor in the large-N model is carried out for quenches above, at and below T_c. Preasymptotic scaling is found and crossover phenomena are related to the existence of components in the order parameter with different scaling properties. Implications for phase-ordering in realistic systems are discussed.Comment: 15 pages, 13 figures. To be published in Phys. Rev.

Search for microwave emission from ultrahigh energy cosmic rays

We present a search for microwave emission from air showers induced by ultrahigh energy cosmic rays with the microwave detection of air showers experiment. No events were found, ruling out a wide range of power flux and coherence of the putative emission, including those suggested by recent laboratory measurements.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Exact norm-conserving stochastic time-dependent Hartree-Fock

We derive an exact single-body decomposition of the time-dependent Schroedinger equation for N pairwise-interacting fermions. Each fermion obeys a stochastic time-dependent norm-preserving wave equation. As a first test of the method we calculate the low energy spectrum of Helium. An extension of the method to bosons is outlined.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figures, LaTeX fil