Limit shape phase transitions: a merger of arctic circles

• Published in: Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical
• Main Authors: Pallister, James S, Gangardt, Dimitri M, Abanov, Alexander G
• Other Authors: National Science Foundation
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: IOP Publishing 2022
• Subjects: Arctic
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1751-8121/ac79ad; https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1751-8121/ac79ad; https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1751-8121/ac79ad/pdf

Abstract We consider a free fermion formulation of a statistical model exhibiting a limit shape phenomenon. The model is shown to have a phase transition that can be visualized as the merger of two liquid regions – arctic circles. We show that the merging arctic circles provide a space-time resolved picture of the phase transition in lattice QCD known as Gross–Witten–Wadia transition. The latter is a continuous phase transition of the third order. We argue that this transition is universal and is not spoiled by interactions if parity and time-reversal symmetries are preserved. We refer to this universal transition as the merger transition.