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Numerical comparison of two approaches for the study of phase transitions in small systems

Nelson A. Alves·Jeaneti P. N. Ferrite·Ulrich H. E. Hansmann
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Abstract

We compare two recently proposed methods for the characterization of phase transitions in small systems. The validity and usefulness of these approaches are studied for the case of the q=4 and q=5 Potts model, i.e. systems where a thermodynamic limit and exact results exist. Guided by this analysis we discuss then the helix-coil transition in polyalanine, an example of structural transitions in biological molecules.

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Nelson A. Alves, Jeaneti P. N. Ferrite, Ulrich H. E. Hansmann. 2001-12-04. Numerical comparison of two approaches for the study of phase transitions in small systems. https://doi.org/10.1103/physreve.65.036110

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