Phase transitions in XY models with randomly oriented crystal fields

Abstract

We obtain a representation of the free energy of an XY model on a fully connected graph with spins subjected to a random crystal field of strength $D$ and with random orientation $\hat{I}\pm$. Results are obtained for an arbitrary probability distribution of the disorder using large deviation theory, for any $D$. We show that the critical temperature is insensitive to the nature and strength of the distribution $p(\hat{I}\pm )$, for a large family of distributions which includes quadriperiodic distributions, with $p(\hat{I}\pm )=p(\hat{I}\pm +\frac{\ddot{I}}{€}2)$, which includes the uniform and symmetric bimodal distributions. The specific heat vanishes as temperature $T\to 0$ if $D$ is infinite, but approaches a constant if $D$ is finite. We also studied the effect of asymmetry on a bimodal distribution of the orientation of the random crystal field and obtained the phase diagram comprising four phases: a mixed phase (in which spins are canted at angles which depend on the degree of disorder), an $x$-Ising phase, a $y$-Ising phase and a paramagnetic phase, all of which meet at a tetra-critical point. The canted mixed phase is present for all finite $D$, but vanishes when $D\to \infty$.

14 pages, 9 figures