Anomalous finite-size scaling at thermal first-order transitions in systems with disordered boundary conditions

Abstract

We investigate the equilibrium and off-equilibrium behaviors of systems at thermal first-order transitions (FOTs) when the boundary conditions favor one of the two phases. As a theoretical laboratory we consider the two-dimensional Potts model. We show that an anomalous finite-size scaling emerges in systems with open boundary conditions favoring the disordered phase, associated with a mixed regime where the two phases are spatially separated. Correspondingly, if the system is slowly heated across the transition, the characteristic times of the off-equilibrium dynamics scale with a power of the size. We argue that these features generally apply to systems at FOTs, when boundary conditions favor one of the two phases. In particular, they should be relevant for the experimental search of FOTs of the quark-gluon plasma in heavy-ion collisions.