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An alternative field theory for the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition

Georg Foltin
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Abstract

We extend a Gaussian model for the internal electrical potential of a two-dimensional Coulomb gas by a non-Gaussian measure term, which singles out the physically relevant configurations of the potential. The resulting Hamiltonian, expressed as a functional of the internal potential, has a surprising large-scale limit: The additional term simply counts the number of maxima and minima of the potential. The model allows for a transparent derivation of the divergence of the correlation length upon lowering the temperature down to the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition point.

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Georg Foltin. 2001-06-28. An alternative field theory for the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition. https://doi.org/10.1088/0305-4470%2F34%2F26%2F303

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