arXiv · 1009.0089
Temperature driven structural phase transition for trapped ions and its experimental detection
Abstract
A Wigner crystal formed with trapped ion can undergo structural phase transition, which is determined only by the mechanical conditions on a classical level. Instead of this classical result, we show that through consideration of quantum and thermal fluctuation, a structural phase transition can be solely driven by change of the system's temperature. We determine a finite-temperature phase diagram for trapped ions using the renormalization group method and the path integral formalism, and propose an experimental scheme to observe the predicted temperature-driven structural phase transition, which is well within the reach of the current ion trap technology.
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Zhe-Xuan Gong, G. -D. Lin, L. -M. Duan. 2010-09-01. Temperature driven structural phase transition for trapped ions and its experimental detection. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.105.265703
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