Theory of Coupled Phase Transitions: Phase Separation and Variation of Order Parameter

Abstract

A simplified Ginzburg-Landau theory is presented to study generally a coupling of a first-order phase transition (FOPT) to a second-order phase transition (SOPT). We show analytically that, due to the coupling between the two phase transitions, the SOPT may exhibit a FOPT-like phase separation in which an ordered phase is separated from a disordered one. This phase separation results in a distinct behavior in the variation of the order parameter of the SOPT, namely, it is primarily the proportion of the ordered phase that contributes to the total order of the whole system during the FOPT. This growth mode may turn a mean-field critical exponent from 1/2 to 1 or even bigger.