Tricritical behavior in dynamical phase transitions

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new type of dynamical phase transition involving tricritical points in diffusive systems, supported by theoretical criteria and demonstrated through three distinct lattice models.

Contribution

It formulates a general criterion for the emergence of tricritical behavior in dynamical phase transitions and derives an exact Landau theory for it.

Findings

Identification of a new tricritical scenario in dynamical phase transitions

Derivation of an exact Landau theory for tricritical behavior

Demonstration in three lattice models: exclusion process, lattice gas, and active gas

Abstract

We identify a new scenario for dynamical phase transitions associated with time-integrated observables occurring in diffusive systems described by the macroscopic fluctuation theory. It is characterized by the pairwise meeting of first- and second-order bias-induced phase transition curves at two tricritical points. We formulate a simple, general criterion for its appearance and derive an exact Landau theory for the tricritical behavior. The scenario is demonstrated in three examples: the simple symmetric exclusion process biased by an activity-related structural observable; the Katz-Lebowitz-Spohn lattice gas model biased by its current; and in an active lattice gas biased by its entropy production.