Condensed Matter Theory

Abstract:

The low-temperature phase diagram of the p-state chiral clock model is studied by mapping the model on to a one-dimensional array of interacting domain walls within a mean-field approximation. Infinite sequences of commensurate phases are found for all values of p. The domain wall picture gives some insight into the reasons for the stability of given phase sequences. The results agree well with low-temperature series calculations.

Abstract:

The authors use a finite-size renormalisation group to study the phase diagram of a spin model which exhibits modulated order, the two-dimensional three-state chiral clock model. In addition to the usual scaling of the correlation length, wavevector scaling is shown to provide useful information about the position of the Lifshitz point, and about the position and nature of the commensurate to incommensurate and commensurate to paramagnetic phase transitions.