Topological charge order and binding in a frustrated XY model and related systems

We prove the existence of a finite temperature Z₂ phase transition for the topological charge ordering within the fully frustrated XY model. Our method enables a proof of the topological charge confinement within the conventional XY models from a rather general vista. One of the complications that we face is the non-exact equivalence of the continuous (angular) XY model and its discrete topological charge dual. In reality, the energy spectra of the various topological sectors are highly nested, much unlike that suggested by the discrete dual models. We surmount these difficulties by exploiting the reflection positivity symmetry that this periodic flux phase model possesses. The techniques introduced here may prove binding of topological charges in numerous models and might be applied to examine transitions associated with various topological defects, e.g., the confinement of disclinations in the isotropic to nematic transition.