When the Landau criterion fails qualitatively

Abstract
The authors show that a theory with an order parameter of one real component, phi , with u3 phi 3 local interaction exhibits-due to fluctuations-a first order phase transition for mod u3 mod >u3c>0, a critical point at u3=u3c, and no transition for mod u3 mod 0. This is in contradiction to the Landau theory which predicts a first order transition for all u3>0. The relation of this failure of Landau's theory to questions of symmetry breaking is discussed.

This publication has 27 references indexed in Scilit: