title: Identifying transitions in finite systems by means of partition function zeros and microcanonical inflection-point analysis: a comparison for elastic flexible polymers.
abstract: For the estimation of transition points of finite elastic, flexible polymers with chain lengths from 13 to 309 monomers, we compare systematically transition temperatures obtained by the Fisher partition function zeros approach with recent results from microcanonical inflection-point analysis. These methods rely on accurate numerical estimates of the density of states, which have been obtained by advanced multicanonical Monte Carlo sampling techniques. Both the Fisher zeros method and microcanonical inflection-point analysis yield very similar results and enable the unique identification of transition points in finite systems, which is typically impossible in the conventional canonical analysis of thermodynamic quantities.
authors.affiliation: Center for Simulational Physics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA.
authors.forename: Julio C S
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.affiliation: Institut für Theoretische Physik and Centre for Theoretical Sciences (NTZ), Universität Leipzig, Postfach 100920, D-04009 Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schnabel
authors.affiliation: Center for Simulational Physics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA.
authors.forename: David P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Landau
authors.affiliation: Center for Simulational Physics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA and Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá (MT), Brazil and Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte (MG), Brazil.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bachmann
mesh_terms: D004548:Elasticity; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D044367:Phase Transition; D011108:Polymers; D044366:Transition Temperature
chemical_list: D011108:Polymers