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Lincoln Chayes

Publications and source records attributed to Lincoln Chayes.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2012

Territorial Developments Based on Graffiti: a Statistical Mechanics Approach

We study the well-known sociological phenomenon of gang aggregation and territory formation through an interacting agent system defined on a lattice. We introduce a two-gang Hamiltonian model where agents have red or blue affiliation but are otherwise indistinguishable. In this model, all interactions are indirect and occur only via graffiti markings, on-site as well as on nearest neighbor locations. We also allow for gang proliferation and graffiti suppression. Within the context of this model, we show that gang clustering and territory formation may arise under specific parameter choices and that a phase transition may occur between well-mixed, possibly dilute configurations and well separated, clustered ones. Using methods from statistical mechanics, we study the phase transition between these two qualitatively different scenarios. In the mean-field rendition of this model, we identify parameter regimes where the transition is first or second order. In all cases, we have found that the transitions are a consequence solely of the gang to graffiti couplings, implying that direct gang to gang interactions are not strictly necessary for gang territory formation; in particular, graffiti may be the sole driving force behind gang clustering. We further discuss possible sociological -- as well as ecological -- ramifications of our results.

math-ph↗
arXiv2012

An aggregation equation with degenerate diffusion: qualitative property of solutions

We study a nonlocal aggregation equation with degenerate diffusion, set in a periodic domain. This equation represents the generalization to $m > 1$ of the McKean-Vlasov equation where here the "diffusive" portion of the dynamics are governed by Porous medium self-interactions. We focus primarily on $m\in(1,2]$ with particular emphasis on $m = 2$. In general, we establish regularity properties and, for small interaction, exponential decay to the uniform stationary solution. For $m=2$, we obtain essentially sharp results on the rate of decay for the entire regime up to the (sharp) transitional value of the interaction parameter.

math.AP↗
arXiv2009

The McKean-Vlasov Equation in Finite Volume

We study the McKean--Vlasov equation on the finite tori of length scale $L$ in $d$--dimensions. We derive the necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a phase transition, which are based on the criteria first uncovered in \cite{GP} and \cite{KM}. Therein and in subsequent works, one finds indications pointing to critical transitions at a particular model dependent value, $θ^{\sharp}$ of the interaction parameter. We show that the uniform density (which may be interpreted as the liquid phase) is dynamically stable for $θ< θ^{\sharp}$ and prove, abstractly, that a {\it critical} transition must occur at $θ= θ^{\sharp}$. However for this system we show that under generic conditions -- $L$ large, $d \geq 2$ and isotropic interactions -- the phase transition is in fact discontinuous and occurs at some $θ\t < θ^{\sharp}$. Finally, for H--stable, bounded interactions with discontinuous transitions we show that, with suitable scaling, the $θ\t(L)$ tend to a definitive non--trivial limit as $L\to\infty$.

math-ph↗
arXiv2008

The Phase Diagram of the Quantum Curie-Weiss Model

This paper studies a generalization of the Curie-Weiss model (the Ising model on a complete graph) to quantum mechanics. Using a natural probabilistic representation of this model, we give a complete picture of the phase diagram of the model in the parameters of inverse temperature and transverse field strength. Further analysis computes the critical exponent for the decay of the order parameter in the approach to the critical curve and gives useful stability properties of a variational problem associated with the representation.

math.PR↗
arXiv2007

Large Scale Properties of the IIIC for 2D Percolation

We reinvestigate the 2D problem of the inhomogeneous incipient infinite cluster where, in an independent percolation model, the density decays to p_c with an inverse power, λ, of the distance to the origin. Assuming the existence of critical exponents (as is known in the case of the triangular site lattice) if the power is less than 1/ν, with νthe correlation length exponent, we demonstrate an infinite cluster with scale dimension given by D_H=2-βλ. Further, we investigate the critical case λ_c=1/νand show that iterated logarithmic corrections will tip the balance between the possibility and impossibility of an infinite cluster.

math.PR↗
arXiv2007

Thinning of superfluid films below the critical point

Experiments on $^4$He films reveal an attractive Casimir-like force at the bulk $λ$-point, and in the superfluid regime. Previous work has explained the magnitude of this force at the $λ$ transition and deep in the superfluid region but not the substantial attractive force immediately below the $λ$-point. Utilizing a simple mean-field calculation renormalized by critical fluctuations we obtain an effective Casimir force that is qualitatively consistent with the scaling function $\vartheta$ obtained by collapse of experimental data.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗
arXiv2007

One dimensional nearest neighbor exclusion processes in inhomogeneous and random environments

The processes described in the title always have reversible stationary distributions. In this paper, we give sufficient conditions for the existence of, and for the nonexistence of, nonreversible stationary distributions. In the case of an i.i.d. environment, these combine to give a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of nonreversible stationary distributions.

math.PR↗
arXiv2006

On the absence of ferromagnetism in typical 2D ferromagnets

We consider the Ising systems in $d$ dimensions with nearest-neighbor ferromagnetic interactions and long-range repulsive (antiferromagnetic) interactions which decay with a power, $s$, of the distance. The physical context of such models is discussed; primarily this is $d=2$ and $s=3$ where, at long distances, genuine magnetic interactions between genuine magnetic dipoles are of this form. We prove that when the power of decay lies above $d$ and does not exceed $d+1$, then for all temperatures, the spontaneous magnetization is zero. In contrast, we also show that for powers exceeding $d+1$ (with $d\ge2$) magnetic order can occur.

math-ph↗
arXiv2006

Quantum spin systems at positive temperature

We develop a novel approach to phase transitions in quantum spin models based on a relation to their classical counterparts. Explicitly, we show that whenever chessboard estimates can be used to prove a phase transition in the classical model, the corresponding quantum model will have a similar phase transition, provided the inverse temperature $β$ and the magnitude of the quantum spins $\CalS$ satisfy $β\ll\sqrt\CalS$. From the quantum system we require that it is reflection positive and that it has a meaningful classical limit; the core technical estimate may be described as an extension of the Berezin-Lieb inequalities down to the level of matrix elements. The general theory is applied to prove phase transitions in various quantum spin systems with $\CalS\gg1$. The most notable examples are the quantum orbital-compass model on $\Z^2$ and the quantum 120-degree model on $\Z^3$ which are shown to exhibit symmetry breaking at low-temperatures despite the infinite degeneracy of their (classical) ground state.

math-ph↗
arXiv2006

Large-deviations/thermodynamic approach to percolation on the complete graph

We present a large-deviations/thermodynamic approach to the classic problem of percolation on the complete graph. Specifically, we determine the large-deviation rate function for the probability that the giant component occupies a fixed fraction of the graph while all other components are ``small.'' One consequence is an immediate derivation of the ``cavity'' formula for the fraction of vertices in the giant component. As a by-product of our analysis we compute the large-deviation rate functions for the probability of the event that the random graph is connected, the event that it contains no cycles and the event that it contains only ``small'' components.

math.PR↗
arXiv2006

Mean-field driven first-order phase transitions in systems with long-range interactions

We consider a class of spin systems on $\Z^d$ with vector valued spins $(\bS_x)$ that interact via the pair-potentials $J_{x,y} \bS_x\cdot\bS_y$. The interactions are generally spread-out in the sense that the $J_{x,y}$'s exhibit either exponential or power-law fall-off. Under the technical condition of reflection positivity and for sufficiently spread out interactions, we prove that the model exhibits a first-order phase transition whenever the associated mean-field theory signals such a transition. As a consequence, e.g., in dimensions $d\ge3$, we can finally provide examples of the 3-state Potts model with spread-out, exponentially decaying interactions, which undergoes a first-order phase transition as the temperature varies. Similar transitions are established in dimensions $d=1,2$ for power-law decaying interactions and in high dimensions for next-nearest neighbor couplings. In addition, we also investigate the limit of infinitely spread-out interactions. Specifically, we show that once the mean-field theory is in a unique ``state,'' then in any sequence of translation-invariant Gibbs states various observables converge to their mean-field values and the states themselves converge to a product measure.

math-ph↗
arXiv2005

Colligative properties of solutions: I. Fixed concentrations

Using the formalism of rigorous statistical mechanics, we study the phenomena of phase separation and freezing-point depression upon freezing of solutions. Specifically, we devise an Ising-based model of a solvent-solute system and show that, in the ensemble with a fixed amount of solute, a macroscopic phase separation occurs in an interval of values of the chemical potential of the solvent. The boundaries of the phase separation domain in the phase diagram are characterized and shown to asymptotically agree with the formulas used in heuristic analyses of freezing point depression. The limit of infinitesimal concentrations is described in a subsequent paper.

math-ph↗
arXiv2005

Colligative properties of solutions: II. Vanishing concentrations

We continue our study of colligative properties of solutions initiated in math-ph/0407034. We focus on the situations where, in a system of linear size $L$, the concentration and the chemical potential scale like $c=ξ/L$ and $h=b/L$, respectively. We find that there exists a critical value $\xit$ such that no phase separation occurs for $ξ\le\xit$ while, for $ξ>\xit$, the two phases of the solvent coexist for an interval of values of $b$. Moreover, phase separation begins abruptly in the sense that a macroscopic fraction of the system suddenly freezes (or melts) forming a crystal (or droplet) of the complementary phase when $b$ reaches a critical value. For certain values of system parameters, under ``frozen'' boundary conditions, phase separation also ends abruptly in the sense that the equilibrium droplet grows continuously with increasing $b$ and then suddenly jumps in size to subsume the entire system. Our findings indicate that the onset of freezing-point depression is in fact a surface phenomenon.

math-ph↗
arXiv2004

Orbital ordering in transition-metal compounds: I. The 120-degree model

We study the classical version of the 120-degree model. This is an attractive nearest-neighbor system in three dimensions with XY (rotor) spins and interaction such that only a particular projection of the spins gets coupled in each coordinate direction. Although the Hamiltonian has only discrete symmetries, it turns out that every constant field is a ground state. Employing a combination of spin-wave and contour arguments we establish the existence of long-range order at low temperatures. This suggests a mechanism for a type of ordering in certain models of transition-metal compounds where the very existence of long-range order has heretofore been a matter of some controversy.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗
arXiv2004

Orbital order in classical models of transition-metal compounds

We study the classical 120-degree and related orbital models. These are the classical limits of quantum models which describe the interactions among orbitals of transition-metal compounds. We demonstrate that at low temperatures these models exhibit a long-range order which arises via an "order by disorder" mechanism. This strongly indicates that there is orbital ordering in the quantum version of these models, notwithstanding recent rigorous results on the absence of spin order in these systems.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗
arXiv2004

Order by disorder, without order, in a two-dimensional spin system with O(2) symmetry

We present a rigorous proof of an ordering transition for a two-component two-dimensional antiferromagnet with nearest and next-nearest neighbor interactions. The low-temperature phase contains two states distinguished by local order among columns or, respectively, rows. Overall, there is no magnetic order in accord with the classic Mermin-Wagner theorem. The method of proof employs a rigorous version of "order by disorder," whereby a high degeneracy among the ground states is lifted according to the differences in their associated spin-wave spectra.

math-ph↗