Past exam of the thermal and statistical physics course of the University of Cambridge / 2021 / Section B / 5 / e / Solution

For attractive nearest-neighbour interactions, $J>0$, the transformed model is a ferromagnetic Ising model. In three dimensions and at $T<T_c$, its infinite-volume spontaneous magnetization has two branches. As the effective field crosses zero, the equilibrium mean spin changes discontinuously from a negative value to a positive value. Since $(\partial h/\partial \mu {)}_T=1/2$, varying the physical chemical potential crosses this same first-order phase transition.

The particle-hole-symmetric coexistence line isThe mean Ising spin is a rescaled occupation density. Writing $n=⟨N⟩/V$ for the physical number density,The negative-spin phase is a dilute gas and the positive-spin phase is a dense, liquid-like phase. If the spontaneous spin magnitude at coexistence is $m_0(T)>0$, their number densities areThus the physical order parameter is a density or occupation imbalance, not an actual magnetic moment of these particles. In a closed system with an intermediate mean density, the same transition appears as phase coexistence between the two densities. At $T=T_c$ the density contrast vanishes continuously; above $T_c$, sweeping the chemical potential gives no coexistence jump. A true discontinuity requires the thermodynamic limit; a finite sum over finitely many cells remains analytic.