Emergent O(n) Symmetry in a series of three-dimensional Potts Models

We study the q-state Potts model on the simple cubic lattice with ferromagnetic interactions in one lattice direction, and antiferromagnetic interactions in the two other directions. As the temperature T decreases, the system undergoes a second-order phase transition that fits in the universality class of the 3D O(n) model with n=q-1. This conclusion is based on the estimated critical exponents, and histograms of the order parameter. At even smaller T we find, for q=4 and 5, a first-order transition to a phase with a different type of long-range order. This long-range order dissolves at T=0, and the system effectively reduces to a disordered two-dimensional Potts antiferromagnet. These results are obtained by means of Monte Carlo simulations and finite-size scaling.Comment: 5 pages, 7 figures, accepted by Physical Review

Finite-Size Scaling Theory at a Self-Dual Quantum Critical Point

The nondivergence of the generalized Gr\"uneisen ratio (GR) at a quantum critical point (QCP) has been proposed to be a universal thermodynamic signature of self-duality. In this work, we study how the Kramers-Wannier-type self-duality manifests itself in the finite-size scaling behavior of thermodynamic quantities in the quantum critical regime. While the self-duality cannot be realized as a unitary transformation in the total Hilbert space for the Hamiltonian with the periodic boundary condition, it can be implemented in certain symmetry sectors with proper boundary conditions. Therefore, the GR and the transverse magnetization of the one-dimensional transverse-field Ising model exhibit different finite-size scaling behaviors in different sectors. This implies that the numerical diagnosis of self-dual QCP requires identifying the proper symmetry sectors.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Quantum criticality of a Z3\mathbb{Z}_{3} symmetric spin chain with long-range interactions

Based on large-scale density matrix renormalization group techniques, we investigate the critical behaviors of quantum three-state Potts chains with long-range interactions. Using fidelity susceptibility as an indicator, we obtain a complete phase diagram of the system. The results show that as the long-range interaction power $\alpha$ increases, the critical points $f_{c}^{*}$ shift towards lower values. In addition, the critical threshold $\alpha_{c}(\approx 1.43$) of the long-range interaction power is obtained for the first time by a non-perturbative numerical method. This indicates that the critical behavior of the system can be naturally divided into two distinct universality classes, namely the long-range (\alpha \textless \alpha_c) and short-range (\alpha \textgreater \alpha_c) universality classes, qualitatively consistent with the classical $\phi^{3}$ effective field theory. This work provides a useful reference for further research on phase transitions in quantum spin chains with long-range interaction.Comment: 5+7 pages. Any comments or suggestions are welcome

Special Transition and Extraordinary Phase on the Surface of a Two-Dimensional Quantum Heisenberg Antiferromagnet

Continuous phase transitions exhibit richer critical phenomena on the surface than in the bulk, because distinct surface universality classes can be realized at the same bulk critical point by tuning the surface interactions. The exploration of surface critical behavior provides a window looking into higher-dimensional boundary conformal field theories. In this work, we study the surface critical behavior of a two-dimensional (2D) quantum critical Heisenberg model by tuning the surface coupling strength, and discover a direct special transition on the surface from the ordinary phase into an extraordinary phase. The extraordinary phase has a long-range antiferromagnetic order on the surface, in sharp contrast to the logarithmically decaying spin correlations in the 3D classical O(3) model. The special transition point has a new set of critical exponents, $y_{s}=0.86(4)$ and $\eta_{\parallel}=-0.32(1)$, which are distinct from the special transition of the classical O(3) model and indicate a new surface universality class of the 3D O(3) Wilson-Fisher theory.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures; v2: substantially revised, new fitting form in extraordinary phas