First-order phase transitions in confined systems
Abstract
In a field-theoretical context, we consider the Euclidean
(
ϕ
4
+
ϕ
6
)
D
model compactified in one of the spatial dimensions. We are able to determine the dependence of the transition temperature (
T
c
)for a system described by this model, confined between two parallel planes, as a function of the distance(
L
) separating them. We show that
T
c
is a concave function of
L
−1
. We determine a minimal separation below which the transition is suppressed.