Phase transitions in three-dimensional loop models and the CPn-1 sigma model

Journal article

We consider the statistical mechanics of a class of models involving close-packed loops with fugacity n on three-dimensional lattices. The models exhibit phases of two types as a coupling constant is varied: in one, all loops are finite, and in the other, some loops are infinitely extended. We show that the loop models are discretizations of CPn-1 σ models. The finite and infinite loop phases represent, respectively, disordered and ordered phases of the σ model, and we discuss the relationship between loop properties and σ model correlators. On large scales, loops are Brownian in an ordered phase and have a nontrivial fractal dimension at a critical point. We simulate the models, finding continuous transitions between the two phases for n=1,2,3 and first order transitions for n≥4. We also give a renormalization-group treatment of the CPn-1 model that shows how a continuous transition can survive for values of n larger than (but close to) 2, despite the presence of a cubic invariant in the Landau-Ginzburg description. The results we obtain are of broader relevance to a variety of problems, including SU(n) quantum magnets in (2+1) dimensions, Anderson localization in symmetry class C, and the statistics of random curves in three dimensions. © 2013 American Physical Society.

Authors: Nahum, A; Chalker, J; Serna, P; Ortuño, M; Somoza, A

• Journal: Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
• Volume: 88
• Issue: 13
• Publication date: 2013-10-11
• DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.88.134411
• EISSN: 1550-235X
• ISSN: 1098-0121
• Language: English