Softening of first-order transition in three-dimensions by quenched disorder

Ising universality in the two-dimensional Blume-Capel model with quenched random crystal field

Using high-precision Monte Carlo simulations based on a parallel version of the Wang-Landau algorithm and finite-size scaling techniques, we study the effect of quenched disorder in the crystal-field coupling of the Blume-Capel model on a square lattice. We mainly focus on the part of the phase diagram where the pure model undergoes a continuous transition, known to fall into the universality class of a pure Ising ferromagnet. A dedicated scaling analysis reveals concrete evidence in favor of the strong universality hypothesis with the presence of additional logarithmic corrections in the scaling of the specific heat. Our results are in agreement with an early real-space renormalization-group study of the model as well as a very recent numerical work where quenched randomness was introduced in the energy exchange coupling. Finally, by properly fine tuning the control parameters of the randomness distribution we also qualitatively investigate the part of the phase diagram where the pure model undergoes a first-order phase transition. For this region, preliminary evidence indicate a smoothing of the transition to second-order with the presence of strong scaling corrections.

Approximate ground states of the random-field Potts model from graph cuts

While the ground-state problem for the random-field Ising model is polynomial, and can be solved using a number of well-known algorithms for maximum flow or graph cut, the analog random-field Potts model corresponds to a multiterminal flow problem that is known to be NP-hard. Hence an efficient exact algorithm is very unlikely to exist. As we show here, it is nevertheless possible to use an embedding of binary degrees of freedom into the Potts spins in combination with graph-cut methods to solve the corresponding ground-state problem approximately in polynomial time. We benchmark this heuristic algorithm using a set of quasiexact ground states found for small systems from long parallel tempering runs. For a not-too-large number q of Potts states, the method based on graph cuts finds the same solutions in a fraction of the time. We employ the new technique to analyze the breakup length of the random-field Potts model in two dimensions.

Universality from disorder in the random-bond Blume-Capel model

Using high-precision Monte Carlo simulations and finite-size scaling we study the effect of quenched disorder in the exchange couplings on the Blume-Capel model on the square lattice. The first-order transition for large crystal-field coupling is softened to become continuous, with a divergent correlation length. An analysis of the scaling of the correlation length as well as the susceptibility and specific heat reveals that it belongs to the universality class of the Ising model with additional logarithmic corrections which is also observed for the Ising model itself if coupled to weak disorder. While the leading scaling behavior of the disordered system is therefore identical between the second-order and first-order segments of the phase diagram of the pure model, the finite-size scaling in the ex-first-order regime is affected by strong transient effects with a crossover length scale L^{*}≈32 for the chosen parameters.

Self-averaging in the random two-dimensional Ising ferromagnet

We study sample-to-sample fluctuations in a critical two-dimensional Ising model with quenched random ferromagnetic couplings. Using replica calculations in the renormalization group framework we derive explicit expressions for the probability distribution function of the critical internal energy and for the specific heat fluctuations. It is shown that the disorder distribution of internal energies is Gaussian, and the typical sample-to-sample fluctuations as well as the average value scale with the system size L like ∼Llnln(L). In contrast, the specific heat is shown to be self-averaging with a distribution function that tends to a δ peak in the thermodynamic limit L→∞. While previously a lack of self-averaging was found for the free energy, we here obtain results for quantities that are directly measurable in simulations, and implications for measurements in the actual lattice system are discussed.

Phase transitions of the random-bond Potts chain with long-range interactions

We study phase transitions of the ferromagnetic q-state Potts chain with random nearest-neighbor couplings having a variance Δ^{2} and with homogeneous long-range interactions, which decay with distance as a power r^{-(1+σ)}, σ>0. In the large-q limit the free-energy of random samples of length L≤2048 is calculated exactly by a combinatorial optimization algorithm. The phase transition stays first order for σ<σ_{c}(Δ)≤0.5, while the correlation length becomes divergent at the transition point for σ_{c}(Δ)<σ<1. In the latter regime the average magnetization is continuous for small enough Δ, but for larger Δ-according to the numerical results-it becomes discontinuous at the transition point, thus the phase transition is expected of mixed order.

Griffiths phase and critical behavior of the two-dimensional Potts models with long-range correlated disorder

The q-state Potts model with long-range correlated disorder is studied by means of large-scale Monte Carlo simulations for q=2, 4, 8, and 16. Evidence is given of the existence of a Griffiths phase, where the thermodynamic quantities display an algebraic finite-size scaling, in a finite range of temperatures. The critical exponents are shown to depend on both the temperature and the exponent of the algebraic decay of disorder correlations, but not on the number of states of the Potts model. The mechanism leading to the violation of hyperscaling relations is observed in the entire Griffiths phase.

Critical behavior of the three-dimensional Ising model with anisotropic bond randomness at the ferromagnetic-paramagnetic transition line

We study the ±J three-dimensional (3D) Ising model with a spatially uniaxial anisotropic bond randomness on the simple cubic lattice. The ±J random exchange is applied on the xy planes, whereas, in the z direction, only a ferromagnetic exchange is used. After sketching the phase diagram and comparing it with the corresponding isotropic case, the system is studied at the ferromagnetic-paramagnetic transition line using parallel tempering and a convenient concentration of antiferromagnetic bonds (p(z)=0;p(xy)=0.176). The numerical data clearly point out a second-order ferromagnetic-paramagnetic phase transition belonging in the same universality class with the 3D random Ising model. The smooth finite-size behavior of the effective exponents, describing the peaks of the logarithmic derivatives of the order parameter, provides an accurate estimate of the critical exponent 1/ν=1.463(3), and a collapse analysis of magnetization data gives an estimate of β/ν=0.516(7). These results are in agreement with previous papers and, in particular, with those of the isotropic ±J three-dimensional Ising model at the ferromagnetic-paramagnetic transition line, indicating the irrelevance of the introduced anisotropy.

Universality aspects of the d = 3 random-bond Blume-Capel model

The effects of bond randomness on the universality aspects of the simple cubic lattice ferromagnetic Blume-Capel model are discussed. The system is studied numerically in both its first- and second-order phase transition regimes by a comprehensive finite-size scaling analysis. We find that our data for the second-order phase transition, emerging under random bonds from the second-order regime of the pure model, are compatible with the universality class of the 3d random Ising model. Furthermore, we find evidence that the second-order transition emerging under bond randomness from the first-order regime of the pure model belongs to a new and distinctive universality class. The first finding reinforces the scenario of a single universality class for the 3d Ising model with the three well-known types of quenched uncorrelated disorder (bond randomness, site and bond dilution). The second amounts to a strong violation of the universality principle of critical phenomena. For this case of the ex-first-order 3d Blume-Capel model, we find sharp differences from the critical behaviors, emerging under randomness, in the cases of the ex-first-order transitions of the corresponding weak and strong first-order transitions in the 3d three-state and four-state Potts models.

Critical behavior of the pure and random-bond two-dimensional triangular Ising ferromagnet

We investigate the effects of quenched bond randomness on the critical properties of the two-dimensional ferromagnetic Ising model embedded in a triangular lattice. The system is studied in both the pure and disordered versions by the same efficient two-stage Wang-Landau method. In the first part of our study, we present the finite-size scaling behavior of the pure model, for which we calculate the critical amplitude of the specific heat's logarithmic expansion. For the disordered system, the numerical data and the relevant detailed finite-size scaling analysis along the lines of the two well-known scenarios-logarithmic corrections versus weak universality--strongly support the field-theoretically predicted scenario of logarithmic corrections. A particular interest is paid to the sample-to-sample fluctuations of the random model and their scaling behavior that are used as a successful alternative approach to criticality.

Critical dynamics of the two-dimensional random-bond Potts model with nonequilibrium Monte Carlo simulations

We study two-dimensional q -state random-bond Potts models for both q=8 and q=5 with a linearly varying temperature. By applying a successive Monte Carlo renormalization group procedure, both the static and dynamic critical exponents are obtained for randomness amplitudes (the strong to weak coupling ratio) of r_{0}=3 , 10, 15, and 20. The correlation length exponent nu increases with disorder from less than to larger than unity and this variation is justified by the good collapse of the specific heat near the critical region. The specific heat exponent is obtained by the usual hyperscaling relation alpha=2-dnu and thus indicates no possibility of the activated dynamic scaling. Both r_{0} and q have effects on the critical dynamics of the disordered systems, which can be seen from variations of the rate exponent, the hysteresis exponent, and the dynamic critical exponent. Implications of these results are discussed.

First-order transition in a three-dimensional disordered system

We present the first detailed numerical study in three dimensions of a first-order phase transition that remains first order in the presence of quenched disorder (specifically, the ferromagnetic-paramagnetic transition of the site-diluted four states Potts model). A tricritical point, which lies surprisingly near the pure-system limit and is studied by means of finite-size scaling, separates the first-order and second-order parts of the critical line. This investigation has been made possible by a new definition of the disorder average that avoids the diverging-variance probability distributions that plague the standard approach. Entropy, rather than free energy, is the basic object in this approach that exploits a recently introduced microcanonical Monte Carlo method.

Rounding of first-order phase transitions and optimal cooperation in scale-free networks

We consider the ferromagnetic large- q state Potts model in complex evolving networks, which is equivalent to an optimal cooperation problem, in which the agents try to optimize the total sum of pair cooperation benefits and the supports of independent projects. The agents are found to be typically of two kinds: A fraction of m (being the magnetization of the Potts model) belongs to a large cooperating cluster, whereas the others are isolated one man's projects. It is shown rigorously that the homogeneous model has a strongly first-order phase transition, which turns to second-order for random interactions (benefits), the properties of which are studied numerically on the Barabási-Albert network. The distribution of finite-size transition points is characterized by a shift exponent, 1/nu'=0.26(1), and by a different width exponent, 1/nu'=0.18(1), whereas the magnetization at the transition point scales with the size of the network, N, as m approximately N(-x), with x=0.66(1).

Critical and tricritical singularities of the three-dimensional random-bond Potts model for large

We study the effect of varying strength delta of bond randomness on the phase transition of the three-dimensional Potts model for large q. The cooperative behavior of the system is determined by large correlated domains in which the spins point in the same direction. These domains have a finite extent in the disordered phase. In the ordered phase there is a percolating cluster of correlated spins. For a sufficiently large disorder delta>deltat this percolating cluster coexists with a percolating cluster of noncorrelated spins. Such a coexistence is only possible in more than two dimensions. We argue and check numerically that deltat is the tricritical disorder, which separates the first- and second-order transition regimes. The tricritical exponents are estimated as betat/vt=0.10(2) and vt=0.67(4). We claim these exponents are q independent for sufficiently large q. In the second-order transition regime the critical exponents betat/vt=0.60(2) and vt=0.73(1) are independent of the strength of disorder.

Dynamic Monte Carlo simulations of the three-dimensional random-bond Potts model

The effect of random bonds on the phase transitions of the three-dimensional three-state Potts model is investigated with extensive dynamic Monte Carlo simulations. In the weakly disordered regime, the phase diagram is obtained with a recently suggested nonequilibrium reweighting method. The tricritical point separating the first- and second-order transitions is determined, and the critical exponents of the continuous phase transition induced by quenched randomness are estimated.

Critical behavior of the two-dimensional random-bond Potts model: a short-time dynamic approach

The short-time critical dynamics of the two-dimensional eight-state random-bond Potts model is investigated with large-scale Monte Carlo simulations. Dynamic relaxation starting from a disordered and an ordered state is carefully analyzed. The continuous phase transition induced by disorder is studied, and both the dynamic and static critical exponents are estimated. The static exponent beta/nu shows little dependence on the disorder amplitude r, while the dynamic exponent z and static exponent 1/nu vary with the strength of disorder.

Disorder-induced rounding of the phase transition in the large-q-state Potts model

The phase transition in the q -state Potts model with homogeneous ferromagnetic couplings is strongly first order for large q, while it is rounded in the presence of quenched disorder. Here we study this phenomenon on different two-dimensional lattices by using the fact that the partition function of the model is dominated by a single diagram of the high-temperature expansion, which is calculated by an efficient combinatorial optimization algorithm. For a given finite sample with discrete randomness the free energy is a piecewise linear function of the temperature, which is rounded after averaging, however, the discontinuity of the internal energy at the transition point (i.e., the latent heat) stays finite even in the thermodynamic limit. For a continuous disorder, instead, the latent heat vanishes. At the phase transition point the dominant diagram percolates and the total magnetic moment is related to the size of the percolating cluster. Its fractal dimension is found d(f) = ( 5 + square root of 5)/4 and it is independent of the type of the lattice and the form of disorder. We argue that the critical behavior is exclusively determined by disorder and the corresponding fixed point is the isotropic version of the so-called infinite randomness fixed point, which is realized in random quantum spin chains. From this mapping we conjecture the values of the critical exponents as beta=2- d(f), beta(s) =1/2, and nu=1.

Star-graph expansions for bond-diluted Potts models

We derive high-temperature series expansions for the free energy and the susceptibility of random-bond q-state Potts models on hypercubic lattices using a star-graph expansion technique. This method enables the exact calculation of quenched disorder averages for arbitrary uncorrelated coupling distributions. Moreover, we can keep the disorder strength p as well as the dimension d as symbolic parameters. By applying several series analysis techniques to the new series expansions, one can scan large regions of the (p,d) parameter space for any value of q. For the bond-diluted four-state Potts model in three dimensions, which exhibits a rather strong first-order phase transition in the undiluted case, we present results for the transition temperature and the effective critical exponent gamma as a function of p as obtained from the analysis of susceptibility series up to order 18. A comparison with recent Monte Carlo data [Chatelain et al., Phys. Rev. E 64, 036120 (2001)] shows signals for the softening to a second-order transition at finite disorder strength.