arXiv subjects

G. Thorleifsson

Publications and source records attributed to G. Thorleifsson.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2001

Universal Negative Poisson Ratio of Self Avoiding Fixed Connectivity Membranes

We determine the Poisson ratio of self-avoiding fixed-connectivity membranes, modeled as impenetrable plaquettes, to be sigma=-0.37(6), in statistical agreement with the Poisson ratio of phantom fixed-connectivity membranes sigma=-0.32(4). Together with the equality of critical exponents, this result implies a unique universality class for fixed-connectivity membranes. Our findings thus establish that physical fixed-connectivity membranes provide a wide class of auxetic (negative Poisson ratio) materials with significant potential applications in materials science.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv1999

The Weak-Coupling Limit of 3D Simplicial Quantum Gravity

We investigate the weak-coupling limit, kappa going to infinity, of 3D simplicial gravity using Monte Carlo simulations and a Strong Coupling Expansion. With a suitable modification of the measure we observe a transition from a branched polymer to a crinkled phase. However, the intrinsic geometry of the latter appears similar to that of non-generic branched polymer, probable excluding the existence of a sensible continuum limit in this phase.

hep-lat↗

arXiv1998

The Weak-Coupling Limit of Simplicial Quantum Gravity

In the weak-coupling limit, kappa_0 going to infinity, the partition function of simplicial quantum gravity is dominated by an ensemble of triangulations with the ratio N_0/N_D close to the upper kinematic limit. For a combinatorial triangulation of the D--sphere this limit is 1/D. Defining an ensemble of maximal triangulations, i.e. triangulations that have the maximal possible number of vertices for a given volume, we investigate the properties of this ensemble in three dimensions using both Monte Carlo simulations and a strong-coupling expansion of the partition function, both for pure simplicial gravity and a with a suitable modified measure. For the latter we observe a continuous phase transition to a crinkled phase and we investigate the fractal properties of this phase.

hep-lat↗

arXiv1998

Simulating Four-Dimensional Simplicial Gravity using Degenerate Triangulations

We extend a model of four-dimensional simplicial quantum gravity to include degenerate triangulations in addition to combinatorial triangulations traditionally used. Relaxing the constraint that every 4-simplex is uniquely defined by a set of five distinct vertexes, we allow triangulations containing multiply connected simplexes and distinct simplexes defined by the same set of vertexes. We demonstrate numerically that including degenerated triangulations substantially reduces the finite-size effects in the model. In particular, we provide a strong numerical evidence for an exponential bound on the entropic growth of the ensemble of degenerate triangulations, and show that a discontinuous crumpling transition is already observed on triangulations of volume N_4 ~= 4000.

hep-lat↗

arXiv1998

Simulating 4D Simplicial Gravity including Degenerate Triangulations

We extend simulations of simplicial gravity in four dimensions to include {\it degenerate} triangulations and demonstrate that using this ensemble the geometric finite-size effects are much reduced. We provide strong numerical evidence for the existence of an exponential bound on the entropy of the model and establish that the phase structure is identical to that of a corresponding model restricted to an ensemble of combinatorial triangulations.

hep-lat↗

arXiv1998

Anisotropic Membranes

We describe the statistical behavior of anisotropic crystalline membranes. In particular we give the phase diagram and critical exponents for phantom membranes and discuss the generalization to self-avoiding membranes.

hep-lat↗

arXiv1998

The Strong-Coupling Expansion in Simplicial Quantum Gravity

We construct the strong-coupling series in 4d simplicial quantum gravity up to volume 38. It is used to calculate estimates for the string susceptibility exponent gamma for various modifications of the theory. It provides a very efficient way to get a first view of the phase structure of the models.

hep-lat↗

arXiv1998

The Ising Model on a Quenched Ensemble of c = -5 Gravity Graphs

We study with Monte Carlo methods an ensemble of c=-5 gravity graphs, generated by coupling a conformal field theory with central charge c=-5 to two-dimensional quantum gravity. We measure the fractal properties of the ensemble, such as the string susceptibility exponent gamma_s and the intrinsic fractal dimensions d_H. We find gamma_s = -1.5(1) and d_H = 3.36(4), in reasonable agreement with theoretical predictions. In addition, we study the critical behavior of an Ising model on a quenched ensemble of the c=-5 graphs and show that it agrees, within numerical accuracy, with theoretical predictions for the critical behavior of an Ising model coupled dynamically to two-dimensional quantum gravity, provided the total central charge of the matter sector is c=-5. From this we conjecture that the critical behavior of the Ising model is determined solely by the average fractal properties of the graphs, the coupling to the geometry not playing an important role.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv1998

4d Simplicial Quantum Gravity: Matter Fields and the Corresponding Effective Action

Four-dimensional simplicial quantum gravity is modified either by coupling it to U(1) gauge fields or by introducing a measure weighted by the orders of the triangles. Strong coupling expansion and Monte Carlo simulations are used. Although the two modifications of the standard pure-gravity model are apparently very distinct, they produce strikingly similar results, as far as the geometry of random manifolds is concerned. In particular, for an appropriate choice of couplings, the branched polymer phase is replaced by a crinkled phase, characterized by the susceptibility exponent $γ< 0$ and the fractal dimension $d_H > 2$. The quasi-equivalence between the two models is exploited to get further insight into the extended phase diagram of the theory.

hep-lat↗

arXiv1997

4d Simplicial Quantum Gravity Interacting with Gauge Matter Fields

The effect of coupling non-compact $U(1)$ gauge fields to four dimensional simplicial quantum gravity is studied using strong coupling expansions and Monte Carlo simulations. For one gauge field the back-reaction of the matter on the geometry is weak. This changes, however, as more matter fields are introduced. For more than two gauge fields the degeneracy of random manifolds into branched polymers does not occur, and the branched polymer phase seems to be replaced by a new phase with a negative string susceptibility exponent $γ$ and fractal dimension $d_H \approx 4$.

hep-lat↗

arXiv1997

Beyond the c=1 Barrier in Two-Dimensional Quantum Gravity

We introduce a simple model of touching random surfaces, by adding a chemical potential rho for ``minimal necks'', and study this model numerically coupled to a Gaussian model in d-dimensions (for central charge c = d = 0, 1 and 2). For c <= 1, this model has a phase transition to branched polymers, for sufficiently large rho. For c = 2, however, the extensive simulations indicate that this transition is replaced by a cross-over behavior on finite lattices --- the model is always in the branched polymer phase. This supports recent speculations that, in 2d-gravity, the behavior observe in simulations for $c \leq 1$, is dominated by finite size effects, which are exponentially enhanced as c -> 1+.

hep-lat↗

arXiv1997

Improved Algorithms for Simulating Crystalline Membranes

The physics of crystalline membranes, i.e. fixed-connectivity surfaces embedded in three dimensions and with an extrinsic curvature term, is very rich and of great theoretical interest. To understand their behavior, numerical simulations are commonly used. Unfortunately, traditional Monte Carlo algorithms suffer from very long auto-correlations and critical slowing down in the more interesting phases of the model. In this paper we study the performance of improved Monte Carlo algorithms for simulating crystalline membrane, such as hybrid overrelaxation and unigrid methods, and compare their performance to the more traditional Metropolis algorithm. We find that although the overrelaxation algorithm does not reduce the critical slowing down, it gives an overall gain of a factor 15 over the Metropolis algorithm. The unigrid algorithm does, on the other hand, reduce the critical slowing down exponent to z apprx. 1.7.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv1997

The Quantum Spacetime of c>0 2d Gravity

We review recent developments in the understanding of the fractal properties of quantum spacetime of 2d gravity coupled to c>0 conformal matter. In particular we discuss bounds put by numerical simulations using dynamical triangulations on the value of the Hausdorff dimension d_H obtained from scaling properties of two point functions defined in terms of geodesic distance. Further insight to the fractal structure of spacetime is obtained from the study of the loop length distribution function which reveals that the 0 = 5.

hep-lat↗

arXiv1997

The Hausdorff Dimension of Surfaces in Two-Dimensional Quantum Gravity Coupled to Ising Minimal Matter

Within the framework of string field theory the intrinsic Hausdorff dimension d_H of the ensemble of surfaces in two-dimensional quantum gravity has recently been claimed to be 2m for the class of unitary minimal models (p = m+1,q = m). This contradicts recent results from numerical simulations, which consistently find d_H approximatly 4 in the cases m = 2, 3, 5 and infinity. The string field calculations rely on identifying the scaling behavior of geodesic distance and area with respect to a common length scale l. This length scale is introduced by formulating the models on a disk with fixed boundary length l. In this paper we study the relationship between the mean area and the boundary length for pure gravity and the Ising model coupled to gravity. We discuss how this relationship is modified by relevant perturbations in the Ising model. We discuss how this leads to a modified value for the Hausdorff dimension.

hep-th↗

arXiv1997

Minimal Dynamical Triangulations of Random Surfaces

We introduce and investigate numerically a minimal class of dynamical triangulations of two-dimensional gravity on the sphere in which only vertices of order five, six or seven are permitted. We show firstly that this restriction of the local coordination number, or equivalently intrinsic scalar curvature, leaves intact the fractal structure characteristic of generic dynamically triangulated random surfaces. Furthermore the Ising model coupled to minimal two-dimensional gravity still possesses a continuous phase transition. The critical exponents of this transition correspond to the usual KPZ exponents associated with coupling a central charge c=1/2 model to two-dimensional gravity.

hep-th↗

arXiv1996

Suppressing Curvature Fluctuations in Dynamical Triangulations

We study numerically the dynamical triangulation formulation of two-dimensional quantum gravity using a restricted class of triangulation, so-called minimal triangulations, in which only vertices of coordination number 5, 6, and 7 are allowed. A real-space RG analysis shows that for pure gravity (central charge c = 0) this restriction does not affect the critical behavior of the model. Furthermore, we show that the critical behavior of an Ising model coupled to minimal dynamical triangulations (c = 1/2) is still governed by the KPZ-exponents.

hep-lat↗

arXiv1996

Blocking of Dynamical Triangulations with Matter

We use the recently proposed node decimation algorithm for blocking dynamical geometries to investigate a class of models, with central charge greater than unity, coupled to 2D gravity. We demonstrate that the blocking preserves the fractal structure of the surfaces.

hep-lat↗

arXiv1996

The flat phase of fixed-connectivity membranes

The statistical mechanics of flexible two-dimensional surfaces (membranes) appears in a wide variety of physical settings. In this talk we discuss the simplest case of fixed-connectivity surfaces. We first review the current theoretical understanding of the remarkable flat phase of such membranes. We then summarize the results of a recent large scale Monte Carlo simulation of the simplest conceivable discrete realization of this system \cite{BCFTA}. We verify the existence of long-range order, determine the associated critical exponents of the flat phase and compare the results to the predictions of various theoretical models.

hep-lat↗