Replica-exchange algorithm and results for the three-dimensional random field ising model

Effect of increasing disorder on domains of the 2d Coulomb glass

We have studied a two dimensional lattice model of Coulomb glass for a wide range of disorders at [Formula: see text]. The system was first annealed using Monte Carlo simulation. Further minimization of the total energy of the system was done using an algorithm developed by Baranovskii et al, followed by cluster flipping to obtain the pseudo-ground states. We have shown that the energy required to create a domain of linear size L in d dimensions is proportional to [Formula: see text]. Using Imry-Ma arguments given for random field Ising model, one gets critical dimension [Formula: see text] for Coulomb glass. The investigation of domains in the transition region shows a discontinuity in staggered magnetization which is an indication of a first-order type transition from charge-ordered phase to disordered phase. The structure and nature of random field fluctuations of the second largest domain in Coulomb glass are inconsistent with the assumptions of Imry and Ma, as was also reported for random field Ising model. The study of domains showed that in the transition region there were mostly two large domains, and that as disorder was increased the two large domains remained, but a large number of small domains also opened up. We have also studied the properties of the second largest domain as a function of disorder. We furthermore analysed the effect of disorder on the density of states, and showed a transition from hard gap at low disorders to a soft gap at higher disorders. At [Formula: see text], we have analysed the soft gap in detail, and found that the density of states deviates slightly ([Formula: see text]) from the linear behaviour in two dimensions. Analysis of local minima show that the pseudo-ground states have similar structure.

Efficient numerical methods for the random-field Ising model: Finite-size scaling, reweighting extrapolation, and computation of response functions

It was recently shown [Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 227201 (2013)PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.110.227201] that the critical behavior of the random-field Ising model in three dimensions is ruled by a single universality class. This conclusion was reached only after a proper taming of the large scaling corrections of the model by applying a combined approach of various techniques, coming from the zero- and positive-temperature toolboxes of statistical physics. In the present contribution we provide a detailed description of this combined scheme, explaining in detail the zero-temperature numerical scheme and developing the generalized fluctuation-dissipation formula that allowed us to compute connected and disconnected correlation functions of the model. We discuss the error evolution of our method and we illustrate the infinite limit-size extrapolation of several observables within phenomenological renormalization. We present an extension of the quotients method that allows us to obtain estimates of the critical exponent α of the specific heat of the model via the scaling of the bond energy and we discuss the self-averaging properties of the system and the algorithmic aspects of the maximum-flow algorithm used.

Variance-reduced estimator of the connected two-point function in the presence of a broken Z(2)-symmetry

The exchange or geometric cluster algorithm allows us to define a variance-reduced estimator of the connected two-point function in the presence of a broken Z(2)-symmetry. We present numerical tests for the improved Blume-Capel model on the simple-cubic lattice. We perform simulations for the critical isotherm, the low-temperature phase at vanishing external field, and, for comparison, also the high-temperature phase. For the connected two-point function, a substantial reduction of the variance can be obtained, allowing us to compute the correlation length ξ with high precision. Based on these results, estimates for various universal amplitude ratios that characterize the universality class of the three-dimensional Ising model are computed.

Nonequilibrium phase transitions and stationary-state solutions of a three-dimensional random-field Ising model under a time-dependent periodic external field

Nonequilibrium behavior and dynamic phase-transition properties of a kinetic Ising model under the influence of periodically oscillating random fields have been analyzed within the framework of effective-field theory based on a decoupling approximation. A dynamic equation of motion has been solved for a simple-cubic lattice (q=6) by utilizing a Glauber-type stochastic process. Amplitude of the sinusoidally oscillating magnetic field is randomly distributed on the lattice sites according to bimodal and trimodal distribution functions. For a bimodal type of amplitude distribution, it is found in the high-frequency regime that the dynamic phase diagrams of the system in the temperature versus field amplitude plane resemble the corresponding phase diagrams of the pure kinetic Ising model. Our numerical results indicate that for a bimodal distribution, both in the low- and high-frequency regimes, the dynamic phase diagrams always exhibit a coexistence region in which the stationary state (ferro or para) of the system is completely dependent on the initial conditions, whereas for a trimodal distribution, the coexistence region disappears depending on the values of the system parameters.

Phase transitions in a three-dimensional kinetic spin-1/2 Ising model with random field: effective-field-theory study

The dynamical phase transitions of the kinetic Ising model in the presence of a random magnetic field with a bimodal probability distribution is studied by using effective-field theory (EFT) with correlations. We have used a Glauber-type stochastic dynamic to describe the time evolution of the system, where the system strongly depends on the H≡√<H(i)(2)>(c) root mean square deviation of the magnetic field. The EFT dynamic equation is given for the simple cubic lattice (z=6), and the dynamic order parameter is calculated. The system presents ferromagnetic and paramagnetic states for low and high temperatures, respectively. Our results predict first-order transitions at low temperatures and large disorder strengths, which corresponds to the existence of a nonequilibrium tricritical point (TCP) in a phase diagram in the T-H plane. We compare the results with the equilibrium phase diagram, where only the first-order line is different. Our qualitative results are compatible with recent Monte Carlo simulations.

Effective-field-theory analysis of the three-dimensional random-field Ising model on isometric lattices

An Ising model with quenched random magnetic fields is examined for single-Gaussian, bimodal, and double-Gaussian random-field distributions by introducing an effective-field approximation that takes into account the correlations between different spins that emerge when expanding the identities. Random-field distribution shape dependencies of the phase diagrams and magnetization curves are investigated for simple cubic, body-centered-cubic, and face-centered-cubic lattices. The conditions for the occurrence of reentrant behavior and tricritical points on the system are also discussed in detail.

Finite-size scaling in Ising-like systems with quenched random fields: evidence of hyperscaling violation

In systems belonging to the universality class of the random field Ising model, the standard hyperscaling relation between critical exponents does not hold, but is replaced with a modified hyperscaling relation. As a result, standard formulations of finite-size scaling near critical points break down. In this work, the consequences of modified hyperscaling are analyzed in detail. The most striking outcome is that the free-energy cost ΔF of interface formation at the critical point is no longer a universal constant, but instead increases as a power law with system size, ΔF∝L(θ), with θ as the violation of hyperscaling critical exponent and L as the linear extension of the system. This modified behavior facilitates a number of numerical approaches that can be used to locate critical points in random field systems from finite-size simulation data. We test and confirm the approaches on two random field systems in three dimensions, namely, the random field Ising model and the demixing transition in the Widom-Rowlinson fluid with quenched obstacles.

Effect of platykurtic and leptokurtic distributions in the random-field Ising model: mean-field approach

The influence of the tail features of the local magnetic field probability density function (PDF) on the ferromagnetic Ising model is studied in the limit of infinite range interactions. Specifically, we assign a quenched random field whose value is in accordance with a generic distribution that bears platykurtic and leptokurtic distributions depending on a single parameter tau<3 to each site. For tau<5/3, such distributions, which are basically Student-t and r distribution extended for all plausible real degrees of freedom, present a finite standard deviation, if not the distribution has got the same asymptotic power-law behavior as a alpha-stable Lévy distribution with alpha=(3-tau)/(tau-1). For every value of tau, at specific temperature and width of the distribution, the system undergoes a continuous phase transition. Strikingly, we impart the emergence of an inflexion point in the temperature-PDF width phase diagrams for distributions broader than the Cauchy-Lorentz (tau=2) which is accompanied with a divergent free energy per spin (at zero temperature).

Multicritical behavior in a random-field Ising model under a continuous-field probability distribution

A random-field Ising model that is capable of exhibiting a rich variety of multicritical phenomena, as well as a smearing of such behavior, is investigated. The model consists of an infinite-range-interaction Ising ferromagnet in the presence of a triple Gaussian random magnetic field, which is defined as a superposition of three Gaussian distributions with the same width σ, centered at H = 0 and H = ± H(0), with probabilities p and (1-p)/2, respectively. Such a distribution is very general and recovers, as limiting cases, the trimodal, bimodal and Gaussian probability distributions. In particular, the special case of the random-field Ising model in the presence of a trimodal probability distribution (limit [Formula: see text]) is able to present a rather nontrivial multicritical behavior. It is argued that the triple Gaussian probability distribution is appropriate for a physical description of some diluted antiferromagnets in the presence of a uniform external field, for which the corresponding physical realization consists of an Ising ferromagnet under random fields whose distribution appears to be well represented in terms of a superposition of two parts, namely a trimodal and a continuous contribution. The model is investigated by means of the replica method, and phase diagrams are obtained within the replica-symmetric solution, which is known to be stable for the present system. A rich variety of phase diagrams is presented, with one or two distinct ferromagnetic phases, continuous and first-order transition lines, tricritical, fourth-order, critical end points and many other interesting multicritical phenomena. Additionally, the present model carries the possibility of destroying such multicritical phenomena due to an increase in the randomness, i.e. increasing σ, which represents a very common feature in real systems.

Ground states and thermal states of the random field Ising model

The random field Ising model is studied numerically at both zero and positive temperature. Ground states are mapped out in a region of random field and external field strength. Thermal states and thermodynamic properties are obtained for all temperatures using the Wang-Landau algorithm. The specific heat and susceptibility typically display sharp peaks in the critical region for large systems and strong disorder. These sharp peaks result from large domains flipping. For a given realization of disorder, ground states and thermal states near the critical line are found to be strongly correlated--a concrete manifestation of the zero temperature fixed point scenario.

Phase behavior and dynamics of fluids in mesoporous glasses

Equilibrium and dynamical relaxation behavior of fluids confined in disordered mesoporous glasses such as Vycor are studied based on a lattice model using mean field theory and Monte Carlo simulations. Preferential attractive interactions between the solid surfaces and the fluid suppresses macroscopic phase separation, while making the relaxation rate increasingly slow. The free energy landscape characterized by the presence of the many metastable minima separated by finite barriers dominates both the static and dynamic behavior of fluids at low temperature. Our results provide additional insight into the nature of hysteresis in adsorption measurements of gases in porous glasses.