On the universal behavior of two-dimensional Ising spin glasses

Ising spin glasses are studied, at zero temperature, on a hierarchical lattice as an approach to the square lattice. The stiffness exponent y, which governs the behavior of the interactions under changes of scale, is computed for several distinct continuous symmetric probability distributions for the couplings. All distributions considered lead to the same estimates, i.e., the exponent y is universal. Our results are compared with other estimates available for the two-dimensional Gaussian Ising spin glass.     

Dynamics of antiferromagnetic Ising model with fixed magnetization

The dynamical critical exponent z of the Ising antiferromagnet under the constraint of a fixed zero magnetization is verified by Monte Carlo simulations to be compatible with that of the usual Glauber dynamics of model A, while for positive magnetization the exponent seems different. We also determine the diffusivity of the magnetization and finite size effects. Received: 18 June 1997 / Revised: 28 July 1997 / Accepted: 13 October 1997     

Mixed spin transverse Ising model with longitudinal random crystal field interactions

The effect of a longitudinal random crystal field interaction on the phase diagrams of the mixed spin transverse Ising model consisting of spin-1/2 and spin-1 is investigated within the finite cluster approximation based on a single-site cluster theory. In order to expand a cluster identity of spin-1, we transform the spin-1 to spin-1/2 representation containing Pauli operators. We derive the state equations applicable to structures with arbitrary coordination number N. The phase diagrams obtained in the case of a honeycomb lattice (N=3) and a simple-cubic lattice (N=6), are qualitatively different and examined in detail. We find that both systems exhibit a variety of interesting features resulting from the fluctuation of the crystal field interactions. Received: 13 February 1998 / Accepted: 17 March 1998     

A DMRG study of the -symmetric Heisenberg chain

The spin one-half Heisenberg chain with U q [ SU (2)] symmetry is studied via density-matrix renormalization. Ground-state energy and q-symmetric correlation functions are calculated for the non-Hermitian case with integer r. This gives bulk and surface exponents for (para)fermionic correlations in the related Ising and Potts models. The case of real q corresponding to a diffusion problem is treated analytically. Received: 18 February 1998 / Accepted: 17 March 1998     

Dynamical properties of low-dimensional and spin-Peierls systems

Properties of low-dimensional spin-Peierls systems are described by using a one-dimensional S =1/2 antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chain linearly coupled to a single phonon mode of wave vector (whose contribution is expected to be dominant). By exact diagonalizations of small rings with up to 24 sites supplemented by a finite size scaling analysis, static and dynamical properties are investigated. Numerical evidences are given for a spontaneous discrete symmetry breaking towards a spin gapped phase with a frozen lattice dimerization. Special emphasis is put on the comparative study of the two inorganic spin-Peierls compounds CuGeO₃ and NaV₂O₅ and the model parameters are determined from a fit of the experimental spin gaps. We predict that the spin-phonon coupling is 2 or 3 times larger in NaV₂O₅ than in CuGeO₃. Inelastic neutron scattering spectra are calculated and similar results are found in the single phonon mode approximation and in the model including a static dimerization. In particular, the magnon S =1 branch is clearly separated from the continuum of triplet excitations by a finite gap. Received: 30 July 1997 / Revised: 16 September 1997 / Accepted: 10 October 1997     

Spin glass behavior upon diluting frustrated magnets and spin liquids: a Bethe-Peierls treatment

A Bethe-Peierls treatment to dilution in frustrated magnets and spin liquids is given. A spin glass phase is present at low temperatures and close to the percolation point as soon as frustration takes a finite value in the dilute magnet model; the spin glass phase is reentrant inside the ferromagnetic phase. An extension of the model is given, in which the spin glass/ferromagnet phase boundary is shown not to reenter inside the ferromagnetic phase asymptotically close to the tricritical point whereas it has a turning point at lower temperatures. We conjecture similar phase diagrams to exist in finite dimensional models not constraint by a Nishimori's line. We increase frustration to study the effect of dilution in a spin liquid state. This provides a “minimal” ordering by disorder from an Ising paramagnet to an Ising spin glass. Received 9 April 1999 and Received in final form 27 September 1999     

On the properties of small-world network models

We study the small-world networks recently introduced by Watts and Strogatz [Nature 393, 440 (1998)], using analytical as well as numerical tools. We characterize the geometrical properties resulting from the coexistence of a local structure and random long-range connections, and we examine their evolution with size and disorder strength. We show that any finite value of the disorder is able to trigger a “small-world” behaviour as soon as the initial lattice is big enough, and study the crossover between a regular lattice and a “small-world” one. These results are corroborated by the investigation of an Ising model defined on the network, showing for every finite disorder fraction a crossover from a high-temperature region dominated by the underlying one-dimensional structure to a mean-field like low-temperature region. In particular there exists a finite-temperature ferromagnetic phase transition as soon as the disorder strength is finite. [0.5cm] Received 29 March 1999 and Received in final form 21 May 1999     

The <Emphasis Type="Bold">±</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Bold">J</Emphasis> spin glass in Migdal-Kadanoff approximation

We study the low-temperature phase of the three-dimensional ± J Ising spin glass in Migdal-Kadanoff approximation. At zero temperature, T = 0, the properties of the spin glass result from the ground-state degeneracy and can be elucidated using scaling arguments based on entropy. The approach to the asymptotic scaling regime is very slow, and the correct exponents are only visible beyond system sizes around 64. At T > 0, a crossover from the zero-temperature behaviour to the behaviour expected from the droplet picture occurs at length scales proportional to T ^-2/ds where d_s is the fractal dimension of a domain wall. Canonical droplet behaviour is not visible at any temperature for systems whose linear dimension is smaller than 16 lattice spacings, because the data are either affected by the zero-temperature behaviour or the critical point behaviour. Received 18 February 2001     

Block persistence

We define a block persistence probability p _l (t) as the probability that the order parameter integrated on a block of linear size l has never changed sign since the initial time in a phase-ordering process at finite temperature T<T _c . We argue that in the scaling limit of large blocks, where z is the growth exponent (), is the global (magnetization) persistence exponent and f(x) decays with the local (single spin) exponent for large x. This scaling is demonstrated at zero temperature for the diffusion equation and the large-n model, and generically it can be used to determine easily from simulations of coarsening models. We also argue that and the scaling function do not depend on temperature, leading to a definition of at finite temperature, whereas the local persistence probability decays exponentially due to thermal fluctuations. These ideas are applied to the study of persistence for conserved models. We illustrate our discussions by extensive numerical results. We also comment on the relation between this method and an alternative definition of at finite temperature recently introduced by Derrida [Phys. Rev. E 55, 3705 (1997)]. Received: 25 February 1998 / Revised: 24 July 1998 / Accepted: 27 July 1998     

Frustrated Blume-Emery-Griffiths model

A generalised integer S Ising spin glass model is analysed using the replica formalism. The bilinear couplings are assumed to have a Gaussian distribution with ferromagnetic mean . Incorporation of a quadrupolar interaction term and a chemical potential leads to a richer phase diagram with transitions of first and second order. The first order transition may be interpreted as a phase separation, and contrary to what has been argued previously, it persists in the presence of disorder. Finally, the stability of the replica symmetric solution with respect to fluctuations in replica space is analysed, and the transition lines are obtained both analytically and numerically. Received 13 January 1997