Demixing and orientational ordering in mixtures of rectangular particles

Using scaled-particle theory for binary mixtures of two-dimensional hard particles with rotational freedom, we analyse the stability of nematic phases and the demixing phase behaviour of a variety of mixtures, focussing on cases where at least one of the components consists of hard rectangles or hard squares. A pure fluid of hard rectangles may exhibit, aside from the usual uniaxial nematic phase, an additional (tetratic) oriented phase, possessing two directors, which is the analogue of the biaxial or cubatic phases in three- dimensional fluids. There is computer simulation evidence that the tetratic phase might be stable with respect to phases with spatial order for rectangles with low aspect ratios. As hard rectangles are mixed with other particles not possessing stable tetratic order by themselves, the tetratic phase is destabilised, via a first- or second-order phase transition, to uniaxial nematic or isotropic phases; for hard rectangles of low aspect ratio tetratic order persists in a relatively large range of volume fractions. The order of these transitions depends on the particle geometry, dimensions and thermodynamic conditions of the mixture. The second component of the mixture has been chosen to be hard discs or disco-rectangles, the geometry of which is different from that of rectangles, leading to packing frustration and demixing behaviour, or simply rectangles of different aspect ratio. These mixtures may be good candidates for observing thermodynamically stable tetratic phases in monolayers of hard particles. Finally, demixing between fluid (isotropic--tetratic or tetratic--tetratic) phases is seen to occur in mixtures of hard squares of different sizes when the size ratio is sufficiently large.Comment: 27 pages, 9 figure

Spin frustration and magnetic ordering in theS=12molecular antiferromagnetfcc−Cs3C60

We have investigated the low-temperature magnetic state of face-centered-cubic (fcc) Cs3C60, a Mott insulator and the first molecular analog of a geometrically frustrated Heisenberg fcc antiferromagnet with S=1/2 spins. Specific heat studies reveal the presence of both long-range antiferromagnetic ordering and a magnetically disordered state below TN=2.2 K, which is in agreement with local probe experiments. These results together with the strongly suppressed TN are unexpected for conventional atom-based fcc antiferromagnets, implying that the fulleride molecular degrees of freedom give rise to the unique magnetic ground state

Tricritical Behavior in Charge-Order System

Tricritical point in charge-order systems and its criticality are studied for a microscopic model by using the mean-field approximation and exchange Monte Carlo method in the classical limit as well as by using the Hartree-Fock approximation for the quantum model. We study the extended Hubbard model and show that the tricritical point emerges as an endpoint of the first-order transition line between the disordered phase and the charge-ordered phase at finite temperatures. Strong divergences of several fluctuations at zero wavenumber are found and analyzed around the tricritical point. Especially, the charge susceptibility chi_c and the susceptibility of the next-nearest-neighbor correlation chi_R are shown to diverge and their critical exponents are derived to be the same as the criticality of the susceptibility of the double occupancy chi_D0. The singularity of conductivity at the tricritical point is clarified. We show that the singularity of the conductivity sigma is governed by that of the carrier density and is given as |sigma-sigma_c|=|g-g_c|^{p_t}Alog{|g-g_{c}|}+B), where g is the effective interaction of the Hubbard model, sigma_c g_c represents the critical conductivity(interaction) and A and B are constants, respectively. Here, in the canonical ensemble, we obtain p_t=2beta_t=1/2 at the tricritical point. We also show that p_t changes into p_{t}'=2beta=1 at the tricritical point in the grand-canonical ensemble when the tricritical point in the canonical ensemble is involved within the phase separation region. The results are compared with available experimental results of organic conductor (DI-DCNQI)2Ag.Comment: 20 pages, 32 figures, to appear in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. Vol.75(2006)No.

Phase diagram of quarter-filled band organic salts, [EDT-TTF-CONMe2]2X, X = AsF6 and Br

An investigation of the P/T phase diagram of the quarter-filled organic conductors, [EDT-TTF-CONMe2]2X, is reported on the basis of transport and NMR studies of two members, X=AsF6 and Br of the family. The strongly insulating character of these materials in the low pressure regime has been attributed to a remarkably stable charge ordered state confirmed by 13C NMR and the only existence of 1/4 Umklapp e-e scattering favoring a charge ordering instead of the 1D Mott localization seen in (TM)2X which are quarter-filled compounds with dimerization. A non magnetic insulating phase instead of the spin density wave state is stabilized in the deconfined regime of the phase diagram. This sequence of phases observed under pressure may be considered as a generic behavior for 1/4-filled conductors with correlations

Finite-Temperature Charge-Ordering Transition and Fluctuation Effects in Quasi-One-Dimensional Electron Systems at Quarter Filling

Finite-temperature charge-ordering phase transition in quasi one-dimensional (1D) molecular conductors is investigated theoretically, based on a quasi 1D extended Hubbard model at quarter filling with interchain Coulomb repulsion $V_\perp$. The interchain term is treated within mean-field approximation whereas the 1D fluctuations in the chains are fully taken into account by the bosonization theory. Three regions are found depending on how the charge ordered state appears at finite temperature when $V_\perp$ is introduced: (i) weak-coupling region where the system transforms from a metal to a charge ordered insulator with finite transition temperature at a finite critical value of $V_\perp$, (ii) an intermediate region where this transition occurs by infinitesimal $V_\perp$ due to the stability of inherent 1D fluctuation, and (iii) strong-coupling region where the charge ordered state is realized already in the purely 1D case, of which the transition temperature becomes finite with infinitesimal $V_\perp$. Analytical formula for the $V_\perp$ dependence of the transition temperature is derived for each region.Comment: 4 pages, submitted to J. Phys. Soc. Jp

Lattice Simulations and Infrared Conformality

We examine several recent lattice-simulation data sets, asking whether they are consistent with infrared conformality. We observe, in particular, that for an SU(3) gauge theory with 12 Dirac fermions in the fundamental representation, recent simulation data can be described assuming infrared conformality. Lattice simulations include a fermion mass m which is then extrapolated to zero, and we note that this data can be fit by a small-m expansion, allowing a controlled extrapolation. We also note that the conformal hypothesis does not work well for two theories that are known or expected to be confining and chirally broken, and that it does work well for another theory expected to be infrared conformal.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures. v2: added new fit including finite-volume corrections. v3: updated to match published versio

Deuterium-deuterium nuclear cross-sections in insulator and metallic environments

The three-dimensional Thomas-Fermi (TF) model is used to simulate the variation of the d+d to t + p cross-section at low impact energies, when the target deuterium nucleus is embedded in metallic or insulator environments. Comparison of the computational results to recent experiments demonstrates that even though the TF model can explain some increase in the low energy cross section for metallic host, a full explanation of the experimental results is still lacking. Possible reasons for the disagreement are discussed.Comment: 6 pages;6 figures. Accepted for publication in Eur. Phys. Jour.

Transport criticality of the first-order Mott transition in a quasi-two-dimensional organic conductor, κ\kappa-(BEDT-TTF)2_{2}Cu[N(CN)2_{2}]Cl

An organic Mott insulator, $\kappa$-(BEDT-TTF)$_{2}$Cu[N(CN)$_{2}$]Cl, was investigated by resistance measurements under continuously controllable He gas pressure. The first-order Mott transition was demonstrated by observation of clear jump in the resistance variation against pressure. Its critical endpoint at 38 K is featured by vanishing of the resistive jump and critical divergence in pressure derivative of resistance, $|\frac{1}{R}\frac{\partial R}{\partial P}|$, which are consistent with the prediction of the dynamical mean field theory and have phenomenological correspondence with the liquid-gas transition. The present results provide the experimental basis for physics of the Mott transition criticality.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Parity Breaking in Nematic Tactoids

We theoretically investigate under what conditions the director field in a spindle-shaped nematic droplet or tactoid obtains a twisted, parity-broken structure. By minimizing the sum of the bulk elastic and surface energies, we show that a twisted director field is stable if the twist and bend elastic constants are small enough compared to the splay elastic constant, but only if the droplet volume is larger than some minimum value. We furthermore show that the transition from an untwisted to a twisted director-field structure is a sharp function of the various control parameters. We predict that suspensions of rigid, rod-like particles cannot support droplets with a parity broken structure, whereas they could possibly occur in those of semi-flexible, worm-like particles.Comment: 20 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Journal of Physics: Condensed Matte