Universal scaling function for domain growth in the Glauber-Ising chain

Phase-ordering kinetics in the Allen-Cahn (Model A) class: Universal aspects elucidated by electrically induced transition in liquid crystals

The two-dimensional (2D) Ising model is the statistical physics textbook example for phase transitions and their kinetics. Quenched through the Curie point with Glauber rates, the late-time description of the ferromagnetic domain coarsening finds its place at the scalar sector of the Allen-Cahn (or Model A) class, which encompasses phase-ordering kinetics endowed with a nonconserved order parameter. Resisting exact results sought for theoreticians since Lifshitz's first account in 1962, the central quantities of 2D Model A-most scaling exponents and correlation functions-remain known up to approximate theories whose disparate outcomes urge experimental assessment. Here we perform such assessment based on a comprehensive study of the coarsening of 2D twisted nematic liquid crystals whose kinetics is induced by a superfast electrical switching from a spatiotemporally chaotic (disordered) state to a two-phase concurrent, equilibrium one. Tracking the dynamics via optical microscopy, we first show the sharp evidence of well-established Model A aspects, such as the dynamic exponent z=2 and the dynamic scaling hypothesis, to then move forward. We confirm the Bray-Humayun theory for Porod's regime describing intradomain length scales of the two-point spatial correlators and show that their nontrivial decay beyond the Porod's scale can be captured in a free-from-parameter fashion by Gaussian theories, namely the Ohta-Jasnow-Kawasaki (OJK) and Mazenko theories. Regarding time-related statistics, we corroborate the aging hypothesis in Model A systems, which includes the collapse of two-time correlators into a master curve whose format is, actually, best accounted for by a solution of the local scaling invariance theory: the same solution that fits the 2D nonconserved Ising model correlator along with the Fisher-Huse conjecture. We also suggest the true value for the local persistence exponent in Model A class, in disfavor of the exact outcome for the diffusion and OJK equations. Finally, we observe a fractal morphology for persistence clusters and extract their universal dimension. Given its accuracy and possibilities, this experimental setup may work as a prototype to address further universality issues in the realm of nonequilibrium systems.

Quasideterministic dynamics, memory effects, and lack of self-averaging in the relaxation of quenched ferromagnets

We discuss the interplay between the degree of dynamical stochasticity, memory persistence, and violation of the self-averaging property in the aging kinetics of quenched ferromagnets. We show that, in general, the longest possible memory effects, which correspond to the slowest possible temporal decay of the correlation function, are accompanied by the largest possible violation of self-averaging and a quasideterministic descent into the ergodic components. This phenomenon is observed in different systems, such as the Ising model with long-range interactions, including the mean-field, and the short-range random-field Ising model.

Relation between statics and dynamics in the quench of the Ising model to below the critical point

The standard phase-ordering process is obtained by quenching a system, like the Ising model, to below the critical point. This is usually done with periodic boundary conditions to ensure ergodicity breaking in the low-temperature phase. With this arrangement the infinite system is known to remain permanently out of equilibrium, i.e., there exists a well-defined asymptotic state which is time invariant but different from the ordered ferromagnetic state. In this paper we establish the critical nature of this invariant state by demonstrating numerically that the quench dynamics with periodic and antiperiodic boundary conditions are indistinguishable from each other. However, while the asymptotic state does not coincide with the equilibrium state for the periodic case, it coincides instead with the equilibrium state of the antiperiodic case, which in fact is critical. The specific example of the Ising model is shown to be one instance of a more general phenomenon, since an analogous picture emerges in the spherical model, where boundary conditions are kept fixed to periodic, while the breaking or preserving of ergodicity is managed by imposing the spherical constraint either sharply or smoothly.

Phase ordering dynamics of reconstituting particles

We consider the large-time dynamics of one-dimensional processes involving adsorption and desorption of extended hard-core particles (dimers, trimers, ..., k-mers), while interacting through their constituent monomers. Desorption can occur whether or not these latter adsorbed together, which leads to reconstitution of k-mers and the appearance of sectors of motion with nonlocal conservation laws for k≥3. Dynamic exponents of the sector including the empty chain are evaluated by finite-size scaling analyses of the relaxation times embodied in the spectral gaps of evolution operators. For attractive interactions it is found that in the low-temperature limit such time scales converge to those of the Glauber dynamics, thus suggesting a diffusive universality class for k≥2. This is also tested by simulated quenches down to T=0, where a common scaling function emerges. By contrast, under repulsive interactions the low-temperature dynamics is characterized by metastable states which decay subdiffusively to a highly degenerate and partially jammed phase.

Simple model for multiple-choice collective decision making

We describe a simple model of heterogeneous, interacting agents making decisions between n≥2 discrete choices. For a special class of interactions, our model is the mean field description of random field Potts-like models and is effectively solved by finding the extrema of the average energy E per agent. In these cases, by studying the propagation of decision changes via avalanches, we argue that macroscopic dynamics is well captured by a gradient flow along E. We focus on the permutation symmetric case, where all n choices are (on average) the same, and spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB) arises purely from cooperative social interactions. As examples, we show that bimodal heterogeneity naturally provides a mechanism for the spontaneous formation of hierarchies between decisions and that SSB is a preferred instability to discontinuous phase transitions between two symmetric points. Beyond the mean field limit, exponentially many stable equilibria emerge when we place this model on a graph of finite mean degree. We conclude with speculation on decision making with persistent collective oscillations. Throughout the paper, we emphasize analogies between methods of solution to our model and common intuition from diverse areas of physics, including statistical physics and electromagnetism.

Emergence of limit-periodic order in tiling models

A two-dimensional (2D) lattice model defined on a triangular lattice with nearest- and next-nearest-neighbor interactions based on the Taylor-Socolar monotile is known to have a limit-periodic ground state. The system reaches that state during a slow quench through an infinite sequence of phase transitions. We study the model as a function of the strength of the next-nearest-neighbor interactions and introduce closely related 3D models with only nearest-neighbor interactions that exhibit limit-periodic phases. For models with no next-nearest-neighbor interactions of the Taylor-Socolar type, there is a large degenerate class of ground states, including crystalline patterns and limit-periodic ones, but a slow quench still yields the limit-periodic state. For the Taylor-Socolar lattic model, we present calculations of the diffraction pattern for a particular decoration of the tile that permits exact expressions for the amplitudes and identify domain walls that slow the relaxation times in the ordered phases. For one of the 3D models, we show that the phase transitions are first order, with equilibrium structures that can be more complex than in the 2D case, and we include a proof of aperiodicity for a geometrically simple tile with only nearest-neighbor matching rules.

Domain growth morphology in curvature-driven two-dimensional coarsening

We study the distribution of domain areas, areas enclosed by domain boundaries ("hulls"), and perimeters for curvature-driven two-dimensional coarsening, employing a combination of exact analysis and numerical studies, for various initial conditions. We show that the number of hulls per unit area, n_{h}(A,t)dA , with enclosed area in the interval (A,A+dA) , is described, for a disordered initial condition, by the scaling function n_{h}(A,t)=2c_{h}(A+lambda_{h}t);{2} , where c_{h}=18pi sqrt[3] approximately 0.023 is a universal constant and lambda_{h} is a material parameter. For a critical initial condition, the same form is obtained, with the same lambda_{h} but with c_{h} replaced by c_{h}2 . For the distribution of domain areas, we argue that the corresponding scaling function has, for random initial conditions, the form n_{d}(A,t)=2c_{d}(lambda_{d}t);{tau'-2}(A+lambda_{d}t);{tau'} , where c_{d} and lambda_{d} are numerically very close to c_{h} and lambda_{h} , respectively, and tau'=18791 approximately 2.055 . For critical initial conditions, one replaces c_{d} by c_{d}2 and the exponent is tau=379187 approximately 2.027 . These results are extended to describe the number density of the length of hulls and domain walls surrounding connected clusters of aligned spins. These predictions are supported by extensive numerical simulations. We also study numerically the geometric properties of the boundaries and areas.

Exact results for curvature-driven coarsening in two dimensions

We consider the statistics of the areas enclosed by domain boundaries ("hulls") during the curvature-driven coarsening dynamics of a two-dimensional nonconserved scalar field from a disordered initial state. We show that the number of hulls per unit area that enclose an area greater than A has, for large time t, the scaling form Nh(A,t)=2c/(A+lambdat), demonstrating the validity of dynamical scaling in this system, where c=1/8pisquare root 3 is a universal constant. Domain areas (regions of aligned spins) have a similar distribution up to very large values of A/lambdat. Identical forms are obtained for coarsening from a critical initial state, but with c replaced by c/2.

Effect of initial conditions on Glauber dynamics in complex networks

The effect of initial spin configurations on zero-temperature Glauber spin dynamics in complex networks is investigated. In a system in which the initial spins are defined by centrality measures at the vertices of a network, a variety of nontrivial diffusive behaviors arise, particularly in relation to functional relationships between the initial and final fractions of positive spins, some of which exhibit a critical point. Notably, the majority spin in the initial state is not always dominant in the final state and the phenomena that occur as a result of the dynamics differ according to the initial condition, even for the same network. It is thus concluded that the initial condition of a complex network exerts an influence on spin dynamics that is equally as strong as that exerted by the network structure.

Dynamics of critical Kauffman networks under asynchronous stochastic update

We show that the mean number of attractors in a critical Boolean network under asynchronous stochastic update grows like a power law and that the mean size of the attractors increases as a stretched exponential with the system size. This is in strong contrast to the synchronous case, where the number of attractors grows faster than any power law.

Autocorrelation functions for phase separation in ternary mixtures

We present numerical and analytical results for the autocorrelation functions which characterize domain growth in ternary mixtures. The numerical results are obtained from Monte Carlo simulations of the spin-1 Blume-Emery-Griffiths model with spin-exchange kinetics. Further, we model the autocorrelation functions using an approach based on the continuous-time random walk formalism. The aging property of these functions is related to the time dependence of the domain-size distribution. Our analytical results are found to be in good agreement with the numerical data.

Experimental study of spinodal decomposition in a 1D conserved order parameter system

We study the zigzag instability coarsening of splay-bend walls formed in a nematic liquid crystal under external fields. The vertexes of zigzag can be considered as kinks in a one-dimensional order parameter system and the geometrical constraints associated with the necessary equal length sum of zig and zag segments impose a conserved quantity in this Cahn-Hilliard-type problem. In the late stage of coarsening, the characteristic length of the system L(t) shows a logarithmic increase in time and the dynamical scaling law holds. We then try to extract the nontrivial asymptotic scaling exponent lambda of the two-time correlation function, defined by lim(<phi(0,t)phi(0,t('))> approximately [L(t)/L(t('))](-lambda). The scaling exponents with respective time references, t(')=32 and 64 s, after quench are found to be lambda approximately 2 which is larger than the value with respective time reference t(')=0, predicted by numerical simulation.

Fluctuation-dissipation relations in the nonequilibrium critical dynamics of Ising models

We investigate the relation between two-time multispin correlation and response functions in the nonequilibrium critical dynamics of Ising models in d=1 and d=2 spatial dimensions. In these nonequilibrium situations, the fluctuation-dissipation theorem (FDT) is not satisfied. We find FDT "violations" qualitatively similar to those reported in various glassy materials, but quantitatively dependent on the chosen observable, in contrast to the results obtained in infinite-range glass models. Nevertheless, all FDT violations can be understood by considering separately the contributions from large wave vectors, which are at quasiequilibrium and obey the FDT, and from small wave vectors where a generalized FDT holds with a nontrivial fluctuation-dissipation ratio X infinity. In d=1, we get X(infinity)=1/2 for spin observables, which measure the orientation of domains, while X(infinity)=0 for observables that are sensitive to the domain-wall motion. Numerical simulations in d=2 reveal a unique X infinity approximately equal 0.34 for all observables. Measurement protocols for X infinity are discussed in detail. Our results suggest that the definition of an effective temperature T(eff)=T/X(infinity) for large length scales is generically possible in nonequilibrium critical dynamics.

Slow relaxation in a constrained Ising spin chain: toy model for granular compaction

We present detailed analytical studies on the zero-temperature coarsening dynamics in an Ising spin chain in the presence of a dynamically induced field that favors locally the "-" phase compared to the "+" phase. We show that the presence of such a local kinetic bias drives the system into a late time state with average magnetization m equal to -1. However the magnetization relaxes into this final value extremely slowly in an inverse logarithmic fashion. We further map this spin model exactly onto a simple lattice model of granular compaction that includes the minimal microscopic moves needed for compaction. This toy model then predicts analytically an inverse logarithmic law for the growth of density of granular particles, as seen in recent experiments and thereby provides a mechanism for the inverse logarithmic relaxation. Our analysis utilizes an independent interval approximation for the particle and the hole clusters and is argued to be exact at late times (supported also by numerical simulations).

Coarsening in the presence of kinetic disorders: analogy to granular compaction

We study the zero temperature dynamics in an Ising chain in the presence of a dynamically induced field that favors locally the " -" phase compared to the " +" phase. At late times, while the " +" domains coarsen as t(1/2), the " -" domains coarsen as t(1/2)log(t). Hence, at late times, the magnetization decays slowly as m(t) = -1+const/log(t). We establish this behavior both analytically within an independent interval approximation and numerically. Our model can be viewed as a simple model for granular compaction, where the system decays into a fully compact state (with all spins " -") in a slow logarithmic manner as seen in recent experiments on granular systems.