109 research outputs found
X-Ray Scattering at FeCo(001) Surfaces and the Crossover between Ordinary and Normal Transitions
In a recent experiment by Krimmel et al. [PRL 78, 3880 (1997)], the critical
behavior of FeCo near a (001) surface was studied by x-ray scattering. Here the
experimental data are reanalyzed, taking into account recent theoretical
results on order-parameter profiles in the crossover regime between ordinary
and normal transitions. Excellent agreement between theoretical expectations
and the experimental results is found.Comment: 9 pages, Latex, 1 PostScript figure, to be published in Phys.Rev.
Incorporating interactive 3-dimensional graphics in astronomy research papers
Most research data collections created or used by astronomers are
intrinsically multi-dimensional. In contrast, all visual representations of
data presented within research papers are exclusively 2-dimensional. We present
a resolution of this dichotomy that uses a novel technique for embedding
3-dimensional (3-d) visualisations of astronomy data sets in electronic-format
research papers. Our technique uses the latest Adobe Portable Document Format
extensions together with a new version of the S2PLOT programming library. The
3-d models can be easily rotated and explored by the reader and, in some cases,
modified. We demonstrate example applications of this technique including: 3-d
figures exhibiting subtle structure in redshift catalogues, colour-magnitude
diagrams and halo merger trees; 3-d isosurface and volume renderings of
cosmological simulations; and 3-d models of instructional diagrams and
instrument designs.Comment: 18 pages, 7 figures, submitted to New Astronomy. For paper with
3-dimensional embedded figures, see http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/s2plot/3dpd
Surface critical behavior of bcc binary alloys
The surface critical behavior of bcc binary alloys undergoing a continuous
B2-A2 order-disorder transition is investigated in the mean-field (MF)
approximation. Our main aim is to provide clear evidence for the fact that
surfaces which break the two-sublattice symmetry generically display the
critical behavior of the NORMAL transition, whereas symmetry-preserving
surfaces exhibit ORDINARY surface critical behavior. To this end we analyze the
lattice MF equations for both types of surfaces in terms of nonlinear
symplectic maps and derive a Ginzburg-Landau model for the symmetry-breaking
(100) surface. The crucial feature of the continuum model is the emergence of
an EFFECTIVE ORDERING (``staggered'') SURFACE FIELD, which depends on
temperature and the other lattice model parameters, and which explains the
appearance of NORMAL critical behavior for symmetry-breaking surfaces.Comment: 16 pages, REVTeX 3.0, 13 EPSF figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Modified critical correlations close to modulated and rough surfaces
Correlation functions are sensitive to the presence of a boundary. Surface
modulations give rise to modified near surface correlations, which can be
measured by scattering probes. To determine these correlations, we develop a
perturbative calculation in deformations in height from a flat surface. The
results, combined with a renormalization group around four dimensions, are also
used to predict critical behavior near a self-affinely rough surface. We find
that a large enough roughness exponent can modify surface critical behavior.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure. Revised version as published in Phys. Rev. Lett.
86, 4596 (2001
Surface Critical Behavior of Binary Alloys and Antiferromagnets: Dependence of the Universality Class on Surface Orientation
The surface critical behavior of semi-infinite
(a) binary alloys with a continuous order-disorder transition and
(b) Ising antiferromagnets in the presence of a magnetic field is considered.
In contrast to ferromagnets, the surface universality class of these systems
depends on the orientation of the surface with respect to the crystal axes.
There is ordinary and extraordinary surface critical behavior for orientations
that preserve and break the two-sublattice symmetry, respectively. This is
confirmed by transfer-matrix calculations for the two-dimensional
antiferromagnet and other evidence.Comment: Final version that appeared in PRL, some minor stylistic changes and
one corrected formula; 4 pp., twocolumn, REVTeX, 3 eps fig
Confinement Effects in Antiferromagnets
Phase equilibrium in confined Ising antiferromagnets was studied as a
function of the coupling (v) and a magnetic field (h) at the surfaces, in the
presence of an external field H. The ground state properties were calculated
exactly for symmetric boundary conditions and nearest-neighbor interactions,
and a full zero-temperature phase diagram in the plane v-h was obtained for
films with symmetry-preserving surface orientations. The ground-state analysis
was extended to the H-T plane using a cluster-variation free energy. The study
of the finite-T properties (as a function of v and h) reveals the close
interdependence between the surface and finite-size effects and, together with
the ground-state phase diagram, provides an integral picture of the confinement
in anisotropic antiferromagnets with surfaces that preserve the symmetry of the
order parameter.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, Accepted in Phys. Rev.
Surface Critical Behavior in Systems with Non-Equilibrium Phase Transitions
We study the surface critical behavior of branching-annihilating random walks
with an even number of offspring (BARW) and directed percolation (DP) using a
variety of theoretical techniques. Above the upper critical dimensions d_c,
with d_c=4 (DP) and d_c=2 (BARW), we use mean field theory to analyze the
surface phase diagrams using the standard classification into ordinary,
special, surface, and extraordinary transitions. For the case of BARW, at or
below the upper critical dimension, we use field theoretic methods to study the
effects of fluctuations. As in the bulk, the field theory suffers from
technical difficulties associated with the presence of a second critical
dimension. However, we are still able to analyze the phase diagrams for BARW in
d=1,2, which turn out to be very different from their mean field analog.
Furthermore, for the case of BARW only (and not for DP), we find two
independent surface beta_1 exponents in d=1, arising from two distinct
definitions of the order parameter. Using an exact duality transformation on a
lattice BARW model in d=1, we uncover a relationship between these two surface
beta_1 exponents at the ordinary and special transitions. Many of our
predictions are supported using Monte-Carlo simulations of two different models
belonging to the BARW universality class.Comment: 19 pages, 12 figures, minor additions, 1 reference adde
Surface induced disorder in body-centered cubic alloys
We present Monte Carlo simulations of surface induced disordering in a model
of a binary alloy on a bcc lattice which undergoes a first order bulk
transition from the ordered DO3 phase to the disordered A2 phase. The data are
analyzed in terms of an effective interface Hamiltonian for a system with
several order parameters in the framework of the linear renormalization
approach due to Brezin, Halperin and Leibler. We show that the model provides a
good description of the system in the vicinity of the interface. In particular,
we recover the logarithmic divergence of the thickness of the disordered layer
as the bulk transition is approached, we calculate the critical behavior of the
maxima of the layer susceptibilities, and demonstrate that it is in reasonable
agreement with the simulation data. Directly at the (110) surface, the theory
predicts that all order parameters vanish continuously at the surface with a
nonuniversal, but common critical exponent. However, we find different
exponents for the order parameter of the DO3 phase and the order parameter of
the B2 phase. Using the effective interface model, we derive the finite size
scaling function for the surface order parameter and show that the theory
accounts well for the finite size behavior of the DO3 ordering but not for that
of B2 ordering. The situation is even more complicated in the neighborhood of
the (100) surface, due to the presence of an ordering field which couples to
the B2 order.Comment: To appear in Physical Review
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