Doctoral Dissertations

Abstract

"A quantum phase transition is a phase transition at absolute zero occurring under variations in an external non-thermal parameter such as magnetic field or pressure. Quantum phase transitions are one among the important topics currently investigated in condensed matter physics. They are observed in various systems, e.g., in the ferromagnetic-paramagnetic phase transition in LiHoF₄ or in the superconductor-metal phase transition in nanowires.

A particular class of quantum phase transitions, which is phase transitions in the presence of disorder and dissipation, is investigated here. An example of this class is the ferromagnetic-paramagnetic phase transition in Ni₁₋ₓVₓ or CePd1-xRhₓ caused by variations in chemical composition. In these system, disorder is due to random positions of doping element and the dynamics of order-parameter fluctuations is dissipative due to conduction electrons.

These quantum phase transitions are explained using the following approach: The Landau-Ginzberg-Wilson functional, which is derived from a microscopic Hamiltonian, is treated by the strong-disorder renormalization group method. For ohmic damping, phase transitions are strongly influenced by disorder and the critical point is an infinite-randomness fixed point, which is in the universality class same as that of the random transverse-field Ising model. The scaling form of observable quantities is activated type rather than conventional power-law type. For superohmic damping, the strong-disorder renormalization group method yields one of the recursion relationships different from ohmic damping. This difference indicates a more conventional transition for superohmic damping"--Abstract, pagef iii.

Advisor(s)

Vojta, Thomas

Committee Member(s)

Wilemski, Gerald
Medvedeva, Julia E.
Morr, Dirk
Parris, Paul Ernest, 1954-

Department(s)

Physics

Degree Name

Ph. D. in Physics

Sponsor(s)

National Science Foundation (U.S.)
Missouri University of Science and Technology. Research Board
University of Missouri Research Board

Publisher

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Publication Date

Spring 2011

Pagination

viii, 98 pages

Note about bibliography

Includes bibliographical references (pages 93-97).

Rights

© 2011 Chetan Kotabage, All rights reserved.

Document Type

Dissertation - Open Access

File Type

text

Language

English

Subject Headings

Order-disorder modelsPhase transformations (Statistical physics)Quantum theory

Thesis Number

T 9778

Print OCLC #

775680583

Electronic OCLC #

908763998

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Physics Commons

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