Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2017/iii/paper-303/1/d/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 303 1 d Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
For , rescale the order parameter by . Write and introduce dimensionless scaling variablesEvery term then has the common energy-density factor :Minimizing over defines the tricritical crossover scaling functionsFor the minimized potential, following the paper's notation , this provesThe exponent names here are unrelated to the couplings in question 2. The expression concerns the specified order-parameter polynomial; a general material can also have a smooth, field-independent background free-energy density. Such a background should be separated before writing a homogeneous singular scaling form. A potential at prescribed magnetization, instead of prescribed field, is a different Legendre transform and is not obtained by this minimization.
There is a needed qualification to the printed single and nonzero-value condition. At , the ordered branch has minimizers and , whereas the disordered branch has minimizer zero and . ThusFor example, , gives an identically zero minimized polynomial, contradicting a nonzero on that side. The valid scaling statement uses separate sign branches, or restricts the asserted nonzero value to approach from the ordered side. At the displayed coordinates are singular; the critical isotherm is obtained as a limit or directly from the equation of state.
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