Universal splitting of phase transitions and performance optimization in driven collective systems
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2025
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| _version_ | 1866911318609494016 |
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| author | Forão, Gustavo A. L. Berx, Jonas Van Vu, Tan Fiore, Carlos E. |
| author_facet | Forão, Gustavo A. L. Berx, Jonas Van Vu, Tan Fiore, Carlos E. |
| contents | Spontaneous symmetry breaking is a hallmark of equilibrium systems, typically characterized by a single critical point separating ordered and disordered phases. Recently, a novel class of non-equilibrium phase transitions was uncovered [Phys. Rev. Res. {\bf 7}, L032049 (2025)], showing that the combined effects of simultaneous contact with thermal baths at different temperatures and external driving forces can split the conventional order-disorder transition into two distinct critical points, determined by which ordered state initially dominates. We show the robustness of this phenomenon by extending a minimal interacting-spin model from the idealized case of simultaneous bath coupling to a finite-time coupling protocol. In particular, we introduce two protocols in which the system interacts with a single bath at a time: a stochastic protocol, where the system randomly switches between the baths at different temperatures, and a deterministic protocol where the coupling alternates periodically. Our analysis reveals two key results: (i) the splitting of phase transitions persists across all coupling schemes -- simultaneous, stochastic, and deterministic -- and (ii) different optimizations of power and efficiency in a collectively operating heat engine reveal that both the stochastic and deterministic protocols exhibit superior global performance at intermediate switching rates and periods when compared to simultaneous coupling. The global trade-off between power and efficiency is described by an expression solely depending on the temperatures of thermal reservoirs as the efficiency approaches to the ideal limit. |
| format | Preprint |
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arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_12764 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Universal splitting of phase transitions and performance optimization in driven collective systems Forão, Gustavo A. L. Berx, Jonas Van Vu, Tan Fiore, Carlos E. Statistical Mechanics Spontaneous symmetry breaking is a hallmark of equilibrium systems, typically characterized by a single critical point separating ordered and disordered phases. Recently, a novel class of non-equilibrium phase transitions was uncovered [Phys. Rev. Res. {\bf 7}, L032049 (2025)], showing that the combined effects of simultaneous contact with thermal baths at different temperatures and external driving forces can split the conventional order-disorder transition into two distinct critical points, determined by which ordered state initially dominates. We show the robustness of this phenomenon by extending a minimal interacting-spin model from the idealized case of simultaneous bath coupling to a finite-time coupling protocol. In particular, we introduce two protocols in which the system interacts with a single bath at a time: a stochastic protocol, where the system randomly switches between the baths at different temperatures, and a deterministic protocol where the coupling alternates periodically. Our analysis reveals two key results: (i) the splitting of phase transitions persists across all coupling schemes -- simultaneous, stochastic, and deterministic -- and (ii) different optimizations of power and efficiency in a collectively operating heat engine reveal that both the stochastic and deterministic protocols exhibit superior global performance at intermediate switching rates and periods when compared to simultaneous coupling. The global trade-off between power and efficiency is described by an expression solely depending on the temperatures of thermal reservoirs as the efficiency approaches to the ideal limit. |
| title | Universal splitting of phase transitions and performance optimization in driven collective systems |
| topic | Statistical Mechanics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.12764 |