Vortex-Line Percolation in the Three-Dimensional Complex Ginzburg-Landau Model

Abstract

We study the phase transition of the three-dimensional complex |psi|^4 theory by considering the geometrically defined vortex-loop network as well as the magnetic properties of the system in the vicinity of the critical point. Using high-precision Monte Carlo techniques we examine an alternative formulation of the geometrical excitations in relation to the global O(2)-symmetry breaking, and check if both of them exhibit the same critical behavior leading to the same critical exponents and therefore to a consistent description of the phase transition. Different percolation observables are taken into account and compared with each other. We find that different definitions of constructing the vortex-loop network lead to different results in the thermodynamic limit, and the percolation thresholds do not coincide with the thermodynamic phase transition point.