Double transitions in the fully frustrated XY model

The fully frustrated XY model is studied via the position-space renormalization group approach. The model is mapped into two coupled XY models, for which the scaling equations are derived. By integrating directly the scaling equations, we observe that there exists a narrow temperature range in which both the vortex and coupling charge fugacities grow large, suggesting double transitions in the system. While the transition at lower temperature is identified to be of the Kosterlitz-Thouless type, the higher-temperature one appears not to be of the Ising universality class.