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Title: Decoupling in the one-dimensional frustrated quantum [ital XY] model and Josephson-junction ladders: Ising critical behavior

Journal Article · · Physical Review, B: Condensed Matter; (United States)
 [1]
  1. Laboratorio Associado de Sensores e Materiais, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, 12225 Sao Jose dos Campos, Sao Paulo (Brazil)

A generalization of the one-dimensional frustrated quantum [ital XY] model is considered in which the interchain and intrachain coupling constants of the two infinite [ital XY] (planar rotor) chains have different strengths. The model can describe the superconductor to insulator transition due to charging effects in a ladder of Josephson junctions in a magnetic field with half a flux quantum per plaquette. From a fluctuation-effective action, this transition is expected to be in the universality class of the two-dimensional classical [ital XY]-Ising model. The critical behavior is studied using a Monte Carlo transfer matrix applied to the path-integral representation of the model and a finite-size-scaling analysis of data on small system sizes. It is found that, unlike the previous studied case of equal interchain and intrachain coupling constants, the [ital XY] and Ising-like excitations of the quantum model decouple for large interchain coupling, giving rise to pure Ising model critical behavior for the chirality order parameter and a superconductor-insulator transition in the universality class of the two-dimensional classical [ital XY] model.

OSTI ID:
6213882
Journal Information:
Physical Review, B: Condensed Matter; (United States), Vol. 48:10; ISSN 0163-1829
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English