First- and second-order quantum phase transitions of a q-state Potts model in fractal lattices

Quantum phase transitions of a q-state Potts model in fractal lattices are studied using a continuous-time quantum Monte Carlo simulation technique. For small values of q, the transition is found to be second order and critical exponents of the quantum critical point are calculated. The dynamic critical exponent z is found to be greater than one for all fractals studied, which is in contrast to integer-dimensional regular lattices. When q is greater than a certain value q(c), the phase transition becomes first order, where q(c) depends on the lattice. Further analysis shows that the characteristics of phase transitions are more sensitive to the average number of nearest neighbors than the Hausdorff dimension or the order of ramification.