On non-stability of one-dimensional non-periodic ground states

Abstract

We address the problem of stability of one-dimensional non-periodic ground-state configurations with respect to finite-range perturbations of interactions in classical lattice-gas models. We show that a relevant property of non-periodic ground-state configurations in this context is their homogeneity. The so-called strict boundary condition says that the number of finite patterns of a configuration have bounded fluctuations on any finite subsets of the lattice. We show that if the strict boundary condition is not satisfied, then in order for non-periodic ground-state configurations to be stable, interactions between particles should not decay faster than $1/r^{\alpha}$ with $\alpha>2$. In the Thue-Morse ground state, number of finite patterns may fluctuate as much as the logarithm of the lenght of a lattice subset. We show that the Thue-Morse ground state is unstable for any $\alpha >1$ with respect to arbitrarily small two-body interactions favoring the presence of molecules consisting of two spins up or down. We also investigate Sturmian systems defined by irrational rotations on the circle. They satisfy the strict boundary condition but nevertheless they are unstable for $\alpha>3$.