Anomalous finite-size scaling at thermal first-order transitions in systems with disordered boundary conditions

TL;DR

This paper studies how boundary conditions influence finite-size scaling at thermal first-order transitions, revealing anomalous behaviors and scaling laws that are relevant for experimental systems like quark-gluon plasma.

Contribution

It demonstrates the emergence of anomalous finite-size scaling in systems with boundary conditions favoring one phase, extending understanding of FOTs in disordered boundary scenarios.

Findings

Anomalous finite-size scaling observed with open boundary conditions.

Characteristic off-equilibrium times scale with system size.

Relevance to experimental detection of FOTs in quark-gluon plasma.

Abstract

We investigate the equilibrium and off-equilibrium behaviors of systems at thermal first-order transitions (FOTs) when the boundary conditions favor one of the two phases. As a theoretical laboratory we consider the two-dimensional Potts model. We show that an anomalous finite-size scaling emerges in systems with open boundary conditions favoring the disordered phase, associated with a mixed regime where the two phases are spatially separated. Correspondingly, if the system is slowly heated across the transition, the characteristic times of the off-equilibrium dynamics scale with a power of the size. We argue that these features generally apply to systems at FOTs, when boundary conditions favor one of the two phases. In particular, they should be relevant for the experimental search of FOTs of the quark-gluon plasma in heavy-ion collisions.