Published November 1, 2013 | Version v1
Journal article

A model of intrinsic symmetry breaking

  • 1. Research Center for Quantum Manipulation, Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China)
  • 2. Department of Physics, Zhejiang Normal University, Zhejiang 310004 (China)
  • 3. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63121 (United States)
  • 4. Office of the Chancellor and Center for Nanoscience, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63121 (United States)

Description

Different from the symmetry breaking associated with a phase transition, which occurs when the controlling parameter is manipulated across a critical point, the symmetry breaking presented in this Letter does not need parameter manipulation. Instead, the system itself suddenly undergoes symmetry breaking at a certain time during its evolution, which is intrinsic symmetry breaking. Through a polymer model, it is revealed that the origin of the intrinsic symmetry breaking is nonlinearity, which produces instability at the instance when the evolution crosses an inflexion point, where this instability breaks the original symmetry

Availability note (English)

Available from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.physleta.2013.06.006

Additional details

Identifiers

DOI
10.1016/j.physleta.2013.06.006;
PII
S0375-9601(13)00581-1;

Publishing Information

Journal Title
Physics Letters. A
Journal Volume
377
Journal Issue
34-36
Journal Page Range
p. 2069-2073
ISSN
0375-9601
CODEN
PYLAAG

INIS

Country of Publication
Netherlands
Country of Input or Organization
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
INIS RN
46008949
Subject category
S71: CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS;
Descriptors DEI
EVOLUTION; INSTABILITY; NONLINEAR PROBLEMS; PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS; POLYMERS; SIMULATION; SYMMETRY BREAKING

Optional Information

Copyright
Copyright (c) 2013 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved.