A minimal exactly solved model with the extreme Thouless effect

TL;DR

This paper introduces a simple, exactly solvable spin model that exhibits the rare and complex Thouless effect, providing insights into hybrid phase transitions and aiding in the development of a new classification system.

Contribution

It presents a minimal, exactly solvable model demonstrating the Thouless effect, facilitating understanding and experimental exploration of mixed-order phase transitions.

Findings

Discontinuous magnetization observed

Diverging susceptibility demonstrated

Partition function calculated explicitly

Abstract

We present and analyze a minimal exactly solved model that exhibits a mixed-order phase transition known in the literature as the Thouless effect. Such hybrid transitions do not fit into the modest classification of thermodynamic transitions and as such, they used to be overlooked or incorrectly identified in the past. The recent series of observations of such transitions in many diverse systems suggest that a new taxonomy of phase transitions is needed. The spin model we present due to its simplicity and possible experimental designs could bring us to this goal. We find the Hamiltonian of the model from which partition function is easily calculated. Thermodynamic properties of the model, i.e. discontinuous magnetization and diverging susceptibility, are discussed. Finally, its generalizations and further research directions are proposed.