Phase transitions driven by competing interactions in low-dimensional systems

Variable-temperature scanning tunnelling microscopy is used to study an order-order phase transition in a virtually defect-free quasi–one-dimensional surface system. The phase transition is driven by competing electronic interactions. The phase diagram is captured by a modified Landau formalism cont...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Europhysics letters 2010-10, Vol.92 (2), p.26004
Main Authors: Cordin, M, Lechner, B. A. J, Amann, P, Menzel, A, Bertel, E, Franchini, C, Zucca, R, Redinger, J, Baranov, M, Diehl, S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
64.60.Bd
64.70.Nd
68.37.Ef
Electronics
Formalism
Joining
Order disorder
Phase diagrams
Phase transformations
Scanning tunneling microscopy
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Summary:Variable-temperature scanning tunnelling microscopy is used to study an order-order phase transition in a virtually defect-free quasi–one-dimensional surface system. The phase transition is driven by competing electronic interactions. The phase diagram is captured by a modified Landau formalism containing a coupling term between two different subsystems. The extra term has the effect of a spontaneously generated field which drives the phase transition. The proposed formalism applies to a variety of problems, where competing interactions produce sometimes counter-intuitive ordering phenomena.
ISSN:0295-5075
1286-4854
DOI:10.1209/0295-5075/92/26004