Energy-landscape analysis of the two-dimensional nearest-neighbor φ⁴ model.

The stationary points of the potential energy function of the φ⁴ model on a two-dimensional square lattice with nearest-neighbor interactions are studied by means of two numerical methods: a numerical homotopy continuation method and a globally convergent Newton-Raphson method. We analyze the properties of the stationary points, in particular with respect to a number of quantities that have been conjectured to display signatures of the thermodynamic phase transition of the model. Although no such signatures are found for the nearest-neighbor φ⁴ model, our study illustrates the strengths and weaknesses of the numerical methods employed.