Paradigm for approaching the forbidden phase transition in the one-dimensional Ising model at fixed finite temperature: Single chain in a magnetic field

Abstract

In a previous paper [Weiguo Yin, Phys. Rev. Res. 6, 013331 (2024)], the forbidden spontaneous phase transition in the one-dimensional Ising model was found to be approachable arbitrarily closely in decorated ladders by ultranarrow phase crossover (UNPC) at a given finite temperature $T_0$ with the crossover width $2\delta T$ reduced exponentially, which resembles a genuine first-order transition with large latent heat. Here, I reveal that the forbidden phase transition can be approached at fixed $T_0$ as well in decorated single-chain Ising models in the presence of a magnetic field, in which $T_0$ is determined by the interactions involving only the decorated parts and the magnetic field, while $2\delta T$ is independently, exponentially reduced ($\delta T=0$ means a genuine transition) by restoring the ferromagnetic interaction between the ordinary spins on the chain backbone -- which was neglected in the previous studies of pseudotransition -- thus manifesting that this asymptoticity to the forbidden transition is essentially the buildup of coherence in preformed crossover of local states. Furthermore, I show that the UNPC can be realized even in the absence of the conventional geometric frustration because the magnetic field itself can induce previously unnoticed hidden spin frustration. These findings make the doors wide open to the engineering and utilization of UNPC as a new paradigm for exploring exotic phenomena and 1D device applications.