Quantum Phase Transitions  

In General > s.a. critical phenomena; phase transitions; quantum tunneling; relation with classical mechanics; states in statistical mechanics.
* Idea: They occur at zero temperature and involve the appearance of long-range correlations; They take place at the "quantum critical" value of some other parameter such as pressure, composition or magnetic field strength, and are due not to thermal fluctuations but to the intricate structure of a strongly entangled ground state.
@ General references: Sondhi et al RMP(97) [continuous]; Sachdev pw(99)apr; Lombardo et al PRD(00)hp/99 [order parameter]; Sachdev 01; Schofield pw(03)aug; Shopova & Uzunov PRP(03); Carteret qp/04 [and renormalization]; Continentino & Ferreira PhyA(04) [first-order]; Hamma qp/06 [and Berry phases]; Zanardi et al qp/07 [differential geometry and information framework].
@ Entanglement: Vidal et al PRL(03)qp/02; Vidal et al PRA(04)cm/03 [second-order], PRA(04)cm/03 [first-order]; Somma et al PRA(04)qp; Chen cm/06 [and scaling]; Anders & Vedral qp/06-in [macroscopic]; Kopp et al AP(07) [non-analyticity]; > s.a. ising model.
@ Spin systems: Biskup et al CMP(07); Pan et al qp/07 [finite periodic XX spin-1/2 chain]; Chang & Wang a0801 [XY model]; Morrison & Parkins a0805 [dissipation-driven]; Hoyos & Vojta PRL(08) [dissipative Ising model, smeared transition]; > s.a. ising model.
@ Other systems: Porras & Cirac qp/04, qp/04 [trapped ions and lasers]; Dunning et al JSM(06)qp [finite systems]; Kargol et al RVMP(08) [quantum anharmonic crystals]; > s.a. Bose-Einstein Condensates, Open Systems.
@ Semiclassical: Douçot & Simon JPA(98) [order from disorder].

In Field Theory > s.a. [quantum gauge theories]; black hole thermodynamics; collapse; QCD phenomenology; QED [lattice]; singularities.
* Gauge theory: There is a phase transition between weak and strong couplings.
@ Gauge theory: Miransky & Yamawaki PRD(97) [conformal]; Aharony et al ATMP(04)ht/03 [deconfinement and length scales]; Apolloni et al NPB(06) [2D-Yang-Mills, large-N].
@ And defect formation: Rivers et al PLB(02)hp.
@ Quantum field theory: Gianinetti & Parola PLA(00) [approach]; Zinn-Justin PRP(01)ht/00 [43 renormalization]; Continentino 01; Kleinert & Schulte-Frohlinde 01 [4]; Höfling et al PRB(02)cm [3D Gross-Neveu model]; Splittorff et al PRD(03) [non-zero T and chemical potential]; Volovik cm/06-in [from momentum space topology]; > s.a. states in quantum field theory [semiclassicality].
@ Lattice field theory: Cheluvaraja JPA(00) [abelian gauge theory]; Sergeev TMP(04) [3D]; van Enter & Shlosman cm/05-in [sigma models].
@ Finite-temperature QCD: Meyer-Ortmanns RMP(96); Meyer-Ortmanns & Reisz 01; Schaffner-Bielich a0709-in [and compact stars].

In the Early Universe > s.a. cosmological constant; observational cosmology; inflation; quantum gravity; topological defects.
* Idea: Phase transitions occur when broken symmetries are restored at high T; The electroweak phase transition, which endows various particles with masses, and the QCD phase transition, which gives rise to confinement of quarks and gluons within hadrons in the true QCD vacuum, took place presumably at around 10–11 s and between 10–5 and 10–4 s, respectively, or at temperatures of about 300 GeV and 150 MeV.
@ Reviews: Gleiser CP(98)hp; Pauchy Hwang MPLA(03); Straumenn ap/04-in; Boyanovsky et al ARNPS(06)hp.
@ General references: Coleman PRD(77), & Callan PRD(77); Linde RPP(79); Hiscock PRD(87) [and black holes]; Huang CQG(93)gq/04 [quantum field theory effects]; Goldman et al PLA(96) [galaxy-galaxy correlations]; Sigl et al PRD(97) [primordial B field]; Borghini et al JPG(00)hp [quark-hadron]; Gleiser & Trodden PLB(01) [and fermion production]; Fraga & Venugopalan PhyA(05) [first-order, finite-size effects].
> Related topics: see sources of gravitational radiation.


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