# 1. Introduction

## 1. Introduction

The spin one ferromagnet has three states $`S_z=0,\pm 1`$ and can be used as a model of several interesting physical systems. For example, it can be applied to the qualitative study of the $`\lambda `$ transition and phase separation of <sup>3</sup>He-<sup>4</sup>He mixtures. In addition, it can model an Ising ferromagnet $`S_z=\pm \frac{1}{2}`$ with nonmagnetic impurities $`S_z=0`$ as well as a magnetic system with competing interactions. It can also model the behavior of a microemulsion where the interplay of the components, water, oil and amphiphile, is mimicked by the states $`S_z=0,\pm 1`$. Thus, studying the phase transitions and the phase diagram of the spin one ferromagnet has physical relevance. In this paper we analyze the properties of the spin one ferromagnet by introducing a transformation that maps the model hamiltonian onto that of the classical spherical model (CSM). Then we study the properties of the saddle points of the integrand of the partition function and look for the existence of phase transitions. The main result of this paper is the existence of a reentrant paramagnetic-ferromagnetic-paramagnetic transition. Consider a $`d`$-dimensional cubic lattice with three states $`N_\stackrel{}{R}=0,\pm 1`$ spin located at each of its nodes. Due to symmetry reasons we may assume that the states $`N_\stackrel{}{R}=\pm 1`$ are equivalent energetically, while the state $`N_\stackrel{}{R}=0`$ may have different energy. The physical motivation for these assumptions comes from the systems mentioned above. Assuming that the spins interact through the pair potential $`V(\stackrel{}{R}\stackrel{}{R}^{})`$ and with an external magnetic field $`H`$, then the general Hamiltonian that defines the model is written as

$$=E\underset{\stackrel{}{R}}{}N_\stackrel{}{R}^2+\underset{\stackrel{}{R},\stackrel{}{R}^{}}{}V\left(\stackrel{}{R}\stackrel{}{R}^{}\right)N_\stackrel{}{R}N_\stackrel{}{R}^{}+H\underset{\stackrel{}{R}}{}N_\stackrel{}{R},$$
(1)   
where the second sum is over all pairs of spins. The first sum in $``$ has been introduced in order to have the possibility of quadrupolar ordering  in addition to the magnetic ordering associated with the second sum. The competition of these two types of ordering is measured by the parameter $`E`$, the energy difference between the states with $`N_\stackrel{}{R}=\pm 1`$ and $`N_\stackrel{}{R}=0`$. With the aim at mapping the model hamiltonian onto that of the spherical model we introduce the Ising-like variables $`a_\stackrel{}{R}=\pm 1`$ and $`b_\stackrel{}{R}=\pm 1`$ that are related to the original spin variables by, $`N_\stackrel{}{R}=\frac{1}{2}\left(a_\stackrel{}{R}+b_\stackrel{}{R}\right)`$. Under this transformation the state $`N_\stackrel{}{R}=0`$ has been double weighted since it can be obtained from the states $`a_\stackrel{}{R}=b_\stackrel{}{R}=1`$ and $`a_\stackrel{}{R}=b_\stackrel{}{R}=1`$. To compensate this difference we introduce the additional entropy term $`𝒮=k_BT\mathrm{ln}2_\stackrel{}{R}N_\stackrel{}{R}^2`$, with $`k_B=1`$ the Boltzmann constant. In terms of the Ising-like variables $``$ becomes:

$``$ $`=`$ $`{\displaystyle \frac{1}{4}}(ET\mathrm{ln}2){\displaystyle \underset{\stackrel{}{R}}{}}\left(a_\stackrel{}{R}+b_\stackrel{}{R}\right)^2+{\displaystyle \frac{1}{4}}{\displaystyle \underset{\stackrel{}{R},\stackrel{}{R}^{}}{}}V\left(\stackrel{}{R}\stackrel{}{R}^{}\right)\left(a_\stackrel{}{R}+b_\stackrel{}{R}\right)\left(a_\stackrel{}{R}^{}+b_\stackrel{}{R}^{}\right)`$ (2)   
$`+`$ $`{\displaystyle \frac{H}{2}}{\displaystyle \underset{\stackrel{}{R}}{}}\left(a_\stackrel{}{R}+b_\stackrel{}{R}\right).`$   
To study analytically the properties of the model we replace the discrete Ising-variables by continuous ones $`\mathrm{}<a_\stackrel{}{R},b_\stackrel{}{R}<+\mathrm{}`$, subject to the spherical conditions: $`_\stackrel{}{R}a_\stackrel{}{R}^2=𝒩`$, and $`_\stackrel{}{R}b_\stackrel{}{R}^2=𝒩`$, with $`𝒩`$ the total number of sites (spins) in the system. Hence, the hamiltonian (2) together with the last two restrictions can be considered as the spherical version of the original hamiltonian.

## 2. Results

Proceeding as in the CSM  the partition function $`𝒵`$, after some straightforward calculations, can be written as

$$𝒵=\pi ^𝒩\frac{ds_1ds_2}{(2\pi i)^2}\mathrm{exp}𝒩\gamma (s_1,s_2)$$
(3)   
where

$$\gamma (s_1,s_2)=s_1+s_2\frac{1}{2𝒩}\underset{\stackrel{}{k}}{}\mathrm{ln}\left(s_1s_2+\left(s_1+s_2\right)\frac{\alpha _\stackrel{}{k}}{T}\right)+\frac{H^2}{16T^2}\frac{s_1+s_2}{\frac{\alpha (0)}{T}\left(s_1+s_2\right)+s_1s_2}$$
(4)   
and $`\alpha \left(\stackrel{}{k}\right)=\frac{1}{4}\left[ET\mathrm{ln}2+_\stackrel{}{R}V\left(\stackrel{}{R}\right)\mathrm{exp}(i\stackrel{}{k}\stackrel{}{R})\right]`$. The integral in Eqn. (3) can be approximated by evaluating the integrand at its saddle points: $`\frac{\gamma }{s_i}=0`$ with $`i,j=1,2`$ and $`ij`$. The solution $`s_i=s_j=s`$ is a root of the equation,

$$\psi (s)=\frac{1}{𝒩}\underset{\stackrel{}{k}}{}\frac{1}{s+2\frac{\alpha (\stackrel{}{k})}{T}}+\frac{H^2}{4T^2}\frac{1}{\left(s+2\frac{\alpha (0)}{T}\right)^2}+\frac{1}{s}=4$$
(5)   
If $`H0`$ there is a saddle point at any temperature only if $`\mathrm{max}_\stackrel{}{k}\alpha (\stackrel{}{k})=\alpha (0)`$ which cannot be accomplished. On the other hand, for $`H=0`$ a saddle point may disappear if in the limit $`s2\alpha (0)/T`$ the sum converges to a finite value.

Let us consider a system where $`V(\stackrel{}{R}\stackrel{}{R}^{})=J`$ and $`\stackrel{}{R},\stackrel{}{R}^{}`$ are nearest neighbors. Bearing in mind that for the CSM the absence (existence) of a saddle point is related to a ferromagnetic (paramagnetic) phase and assuming that $`H=0`$, Eqn. (5) can be rewritten as

$$4=\psi \left(s\right)=\frac{1}{s}+\frac{T}{J}\frac{1}{(2\pi )^d}_{B.Z.}𝑑\stackrel{}{q}\frac{1}{\frac{T}{J}\left(s+\frac{E}{2T}\frac{1}{2}\mathrm{ln}2\right)\left(_{j=1}^d\mathrm{cos}q_j\right)}$$
(6)   
where we have replaced the sum by an integral over the Brillouin zone. The function $`\psi (s)`$ decreases monotonically and is analytic for $`s_0(J/T)<s+\mathrm{}`$ with $`s_0=\mathrm{max}(0,\frac{1}{2}\mathrm{ln}2(E2dJ)/2T)`$. Thus, a solution (a saddle point) of Eq. (6) exists if $`\psi (s_0)>4`$ (paramagnetic phase), while there is no saddle point if $`\psi (s_0)<4`$ (ferromagnetic phase). For $`d=1`$ it is easy to show that when $`ss_0`$, $`\psi (s)`$ diverges yielding no phase transition. For $`d=2`$ the evaluation of such integral is similar to that of the CSM and one can arrive to the conclusion that there is no phase transition .

In $`d=3`$ for some values of the parameters $`E`$ and $`J`$, $`\psi (s_0)<4`$ and there is no saddle point in the integrand of $`𝒵`$, leading to a phase transition. A careful analysis of $`\psi [s_0(T),T]`$ indicates that there are two ranges of parameters to be considered: (1) $`E6J<0`$ in which case $`s_0(T)`$ goes from $`+\mathrm{}`$ at $`T=0`$ up to $`\frac{1}{2}\mathrm{ln}2`$ at $`T=\mathrm{}`$, and (2) $`E6J>0`$ for which $`s_0(T)`$ goes from zero at $`T=0`$ up to $`\frac{1}{2}\mathrm{ln}2`$ at $`T=\mathrm{}`$. Here following ref.  we use the result $`(\frac{1}{2\pi })^3d^3q\left(3_{j=1}^3\mathrm{cos}q_j\right)^10.50541=I_{\mathrm{cr}}`$. Therefore $`\psi (s_0)`$ can be rewritten as

$$\psi (s_0(T),T)=\frac{T}{J}I_{\mathrm{cr}}+\frac{2T}{T\mathrm{ln}2E+6J}=4.$$
(7)   
At very low temperature and for $`E6J<0`$, the parameter $`s_0`$ is quite large and $`\psi (s_0)`$ goes down to zero in which case the system settles in the ferromagnetic state ($`\psi (s_0)<4`$). Nonetheless, at high temperatures $`s_0`$ approaches to $`\frac{1}{2}\mathrm{ln}2`$ ($`\psi (s_0(T),T)>4`$) yielding the paramagnetic phase. In Fig. 1(a) we show the behavior of $`\psi (s_0(T),T)`$ as function of temperature for several values of $`E/J`$. There we see that for $`E/J<6.0`$ the function $`\psi (s_0(T),T)`$ increases monotonically as $`T`$ grows starting from $`T=0`$ up to the high temperature region. On the other hand, for $`E/J>6.0`$ and low temperatures it decreases until a minimum is reached at $`T^{}=(1/\mathrm{ln}2)\left(E6J+\sqrt{2J(E6J)/I_{\mathrm{cr}}}\right)`$, and then increases and goes asymptotically to the line $`\psi (E/J=6,T)`$ at higher temperatures. The critical line defined by $`\psi (s_0(T_c),T_c)=4`$, horizontal dotted line in Fig. 1(a), intersects the curves $`\psi (s_0(T),E/J)`$ in only one point if $`(E/J)<6`$, single critical temperature, while for $`6<(E/J)6+x_c`$ it intersects $`\psi (s_0(T),E/J)`$ in two points giving rise to two critical temperatures. Here $`x_c=(1/I_{cr})(2\sqrt{\mathrm{ln}2}\sqrt{2})^20.124`$. These curves will be denoted as reentrance lines for values of $`E/J`$ in $`[6,6+x_c]`$. In this range of parameters it is also found that the paramagnetic phase ($`\psi (s_0(T),T)>4`$) sets in at low and high temperatures while the ferromagnetic one ($`\psi (s_0(T),T)<4`$) only exists at the intermediate regime. Above the upper bound $`(E/J)_c=6+x_c`$, there will be no phase transition at all. The critical temperatures obtained as the roots of the critical line are:

$$T_c^\pm =\frac{(E6J)I_{\mathrm{cr}}+4J\mathrm{ln}22J\pm 𝒟}{2I_{\mathrm{cr}}\mathrm{ln}2}$$
(8)   
with $`𝒟=\left[\left((E6J)I_{\mathrm{cr}}+4J\mathrm{ln}22J\right)^216(E6J)I_{\mathrm{cr}}J\mathrm{ln}2\right]^{1/2}`$ These two branches are plotted as function of $`E/J`$ in Fig. 1(b). The upper branch $`T_c^+(E/J)`$ goes from $`2.5JT_c<5.5J`$ while the lower branch $`T_c^{}(E/J)`$ extends from $`T_c=0`$ up to $`T_c=2.5J`$. In the inset of Fig. 1(b) we show the reentrance line, $`T_c(E/J)`$ for $`6\frac{E}{J}6+x_c`$.

At this point it is important to note that the results presented here are stable for small changes of the entropy term $`𝒮=k_BT\mathrm{ln}2_\stackrel{}{R}N_\stackrel{}{R}^2`$ introduced as an extra term in the original $``$.

## 3. Conclusions

In this paper we have shown analytically that the spherical version of the spin one ferromagnet with short range interactions and zero external magnetic field shows a reentrant phase transition to the paramagnetic state at low temperatures in $`d=3`$ for $`6<(E/J)6.124`$. However, in lower dimensions we find no phase transition as it occurs in the spherical model. We also obtained the phase diagram $`T_c`$ versus $`E/J`$ where the different phases are indicated. This mapping of the system onto its spherical version has proven to be very useful since it may help to shed light upon the physics of several interesting systems . For instance, we are currently applying this approach to the study of phase transitions in Josephson junctions arrays with disorder . An extended version of the present paper that includes more details as well as additional results will be published elsewhere .

This work has been supported by CONACYT-MEXICO under contract 25298-E.