Aubry transition in a finite modulated chain

Abstract
A "transition by breaking of analyticity," observed by Aubry in the Frenkel-Kontorova model for an infinite and incommensurate configuration, is studied numerically in finite chains with free-end boundary conditions. The transition appears as a symmetry breaking of the ground state with an accompanying soft mode. The occurrence of metastable states and the nature of the vibrational spectrum are analyzed on both sides of the transition.