Finite temperature phase transition for disordered weakly interacting bosons in one dimension

Understand

It is commonly accepted that there are no phase transitions in one-dimensional (1D) systems at a finite temperature, because long-range correlations are destroyed by thermal fluctuations.

• Here we demonstrate that the 1D gas of short-range interacting bosons in the presence of disorder can undergo a finite temperature phase transition between two distinct states: fluid and insulator.
• None of these states has long-range spatial correlations, but this is a true albeit non-conventional phase transition because transport properties are singular at the transition point.
• In the fluid phase the mass transport is possible, whereas in the insulator phase it is completely blocked even at finite temperatures.