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Title: Information-entropic signature of the critical point

Journal Article · · Physics Letters B

Here, we investigate the critical behavior of continuous (second-order) phase transitions in the context of (2 + 1)-dimensional Ginzburg–Landau models with a double-well effective potential. In particular, we show that the recently-proposed configurational entropy (CE)—a measure of the spatial complexity of the order parameter in momentum space based on its Fourier-mode decomposition—can be used to identify the critical point. We compute the CE for different temperatures and show that large spatial fluctuations near the critical point (Tc)—characterized by a divergent correlation length—lead to a sharp decrease in the associated configurational entropy. We further show that the CE density goes from a scale-free to an approximate scaling behavior |k|–5/3 as the critical point is approached. As a result, we reproduce the behavior of the CE at criticality with a percolating many-bubble model.

Research Organization:
Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0010386; 48038
OSTI ID:
1209772
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1457029
Journal Information:
Physics Letters B, Journal Name: Physics Letters B Vol. 747 Journal Issue: C; ISSN 0370-2693
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
Netherlands
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 46 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (12)

A Mathematical Theory of Communication journal July 1948
Information-entropic stability bound for compact objects: Application to Q-balls and the Chandrasekhar limit of polytropes journal November 2013
Matching numerical simulations to continuum field theories: A lattice renormalization study journal January 1997
On thermalization in classical scalar field theory journal October 2000
Entropic measure for localized energy configurations: Kinks, bounces, and bubbles journal July 2012
A Mathematical Theory of Communication journal October 1948
Configurational entropy elucidates the role of salt-bridge networks in protein thermostability journal July 2007
Scale-space for discrete signals journal March 1990
Nonperturbative dynamics of reheating after inflation: A review journal December 2014
Exact and truncated dynamics in nonequilibrium field theory journal December 2000
Transition to order after hilltop inflation journal March 2014
Information content of spontaneous symmetry breaking journal August 2012

Figures / Tables (5)


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