Fractal geometry of Ising magnetic patterns: signatures of criticality and diffusive dynamics

We investigate the geometric properties displayed by the magnetic patterns developing on a two-dimensional Ising system, when a diffusive thermal dynamics is adopted. Such a dynamics is generated by a random walker which diffuses throughout the sites of the lattice, updating the relevant spins. Since the walker is biased towards borders between clusters, the border-sites are more likely to be updated with respect to a non-diffusive dynamics and therefore, we expect the spin configurations to be affected. In particular, by means of the box-counting technique, we measure the fractal dimension of magnetic patterns emerging on the lattice, as the temperature is varied. Interestingly, our results provide a geometric signature of the phase transition and they also highlight some non-trivial, quantitative differences between the behaviors pertaining to the diffusive and non-diffusive dynamics.     

Absence of a spontaneous long-range order in a mixed spin-(1/2, 3/2) Ising model on a decorated square lattice due to anomalous spin frustration driven by a magnetoelastic coupling

The mixed spin-(1/2, 3/2) Ising model on a decorated square lattice, which takes into account lattice vibrations of the spin-3/2 decorating magnetic ions at a quantum-mechanical level under the assumption of a perfect lattice rigidity of the spin-1/2 nodal magnetic ions, is examined via an exact mapping correspondence with the effective spin-1/2 Ising model on a square lattice. Although the considered magnetic structure is in principle unfrustrated due to bipartite nature of a decorated square lattice, the model under investigation may display anomalous spin frustration driven by a magnetoelastic coupling. It turns out that the magnetoelastic coupling is a primary cause for existence of the frustrated antiferromagnetic phases, which exhibit a peculiar coexistence of antiferromagnetic long-range order of the nodal spins with a partial disorder of the decorating spins with possible reentrant critical behavior. Under certain conditions, the anomalous spin frustration caused by the magnetoelastic coupling is responsible for unprecedented absence of spontaneous long-range order in the mixed-spin Ising model composed from half-odd-integer spins only.     

On the connection between spin glasses and gauge field theories

A simple connection between Ising spin glasses and the Z₂ lattice gauge theory, at negative plaquette temperatures, is presented. It is first shown that annealed models give useful lower bounds on the free energy and ground-state energy of spin glasses. However, they have unphysical low temperature properties (e.g. a negative entropy), which are related to a temperature dependence of the frustration. A restricted annealing scheme is presented which remedies this deficiency through the introduction of a pure gauge coupling counterterm. The possible phase diagrams of the lattice gauge system and their relevance to spin glass transitions are discussed.     

Monte Carlo study of low/high spin transitions

We study the finite temperature property of a model on two dimensional square lattices with two Ising spins at each lattice site by Monte Carlo simulations. When those Ising spins at a lattice site are parallel the site is said to be in the high-spin state (HS), while when they are antiparallel the site is said to be in the low-spin state (LS). Throughout the study, the energy of HS is presumed to be higher than that of LS. Two Ising spins at each site are added to form a total spin, which interacts with its nearest neighbour total spins via spin-spin couplings. The spin-phonon coupling also is introduced via harmonic springs between nearest neighbour sites with spring constants and equilibrium distances depending on the spin states of the sites involved. In this system, we investigate the feature of transitions between LS and HS (to be called low/high spin transition (LHST)) by varying the temperature. As for the ferromagnetic interaction between total spins, the second order phase transition: pure HSmixed state of HS and LS is possible to occur in a pure spin system, as is expected from mean field calculations. The role of lattice distortions by the change of lattice spacings is shown to be essential for LHST: pure LS(pure)HS. In the model investigated, there appears an indication of the strong first order phase transition which reveals a conspicuous hysteresis.     

Diffusive thermal dynamics for the spin-S Ising ferromagnet

We introduce an alternative thermal diffusive dynamics for the spin-S Ising ferromagnet realized by means of a random walker. The latter hops across the sites of the lattice and flips the relevant spins according to a probability depending on both the local magnetic arrangement and the temperature. The random walker, intended to model a diffusing excitation, interacts with the lattice so that it is biased towards those sites where it can achieve an energy gain. In order to adapt our algorithm to systems made up of arbitrary spins, some non trivial generalizations are implied. In particular, we will apply the new dynamics to two-dimensional spin-1/2 and spin-1 systems analyzing their relaxation and critical behavior. Some interesting differences with respect to canonical results are found; moreover, by comparing the outcomes from the examined cases, we will point out their main features, possibly extending the results to spin-S systems.     

Non-Equilibrium Behaviour in Unidirectionally Coupled Map Lattices

A spatially one dimensional coupled map lattice with a local and unidirectional coupling is introduced. This model is studied analytically by a perturbation theory that is valid for small coupling strength. In parameter space three phases with different ergodic behaviour are observed. Via coarse graining the deterministic model is mapped to a stochastic spin model that can be described by a master equation. Because of the anisotropic coupling non-equilibrium behaviour is found on the coarse grained level. However, the stationary statistical properties of the spin dynamics can still be described with a nearest neighbour Ising model whereby the ordering is predominantly antiferromagnetic.     

Variational principle for regular and random Ising models on the cactus tree or on the usual lattice in the “cactus approximation”

The distribution functions and the free energy are expressed in terms of the effective fields for the regular and random Ising models of an arbitrary spin S on the generalized cactus tree. The same expressions apply to systems on the usual lattice in the “cactus approximation” in the cluster variation method. For an ensemble of random Ising models of an arbitrary spin S on the generalized cactus tree, the equation for the probability distribution function of the effective fields is set up and the averaged free energy is expressed in terms of the probability distribution. The same expressions apply to the system on the usual lattice in the “cactus approximation”. We discuss the quantities on the usual lattice when the system or the ensemble of random systems has the translational symmetry. Variational properties of the free energy for a system and of the averaged free energy for an ensemble of random systems are noted. The “cactus approximations” are applicable to the Heisenberg model as well as to the Ising model of an arbitrary spin, and to ensembles of random systems of these models.     

Diffusion of particles on a heterogeneous surface: A case of adsorption-induced surface reconstruction

The influence of surface reconstruction on diffusion of particles adsorbed on the surface is investigated in the framework of symmetrical four-position model. The analytical expressions for free energy and diffusion coefficients are obtained assuming the lateral interaction between particles is negligibly small.The critical behavior of the system is described by the Ising spin model. The coverage dependencies of the tracer, jump and chemical diffusion coefficients are calculated for some representative temperatures. The dependencies show clearly strong influence of the surface reconstruction on the thermodynamic and kinetic phenomena: diffusion coefficients become anisotropic on the reconstructed surface. To check the analytical results we have used Monte Carlo simulations of the diffusion on this lattice.     

Spin coupling and magnetic field effects on the finite-size free energy and its non-extensivity for 1-D Ising model with nearest and next-nearest neighbor interactions in nanosystem

The effects of second-neighbor spin coupling interactions and a magnetic field are investigated on the free energies of a finite-size 1-D Ising model. For both ferromagnetic of nearest neighbor (NN) and next-nearest neighbor (NNN) spin coupling interactions, the finite-size free energy first increases and then approaches a constant value for any size of the spin chain. In contrast, when NNN and NN spin coupling interactions are antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic, respectively, the finite-size free energy gradually decreases by increasing the competition factor and eventually vanishes for large values of it. When a magnetic field is applied, the finite-size free energy decreases with respect to the case of zero magnetic fields for both ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic spin coupling interactions. Deviation of free energy per size for finite-size systems relative to the infinite system increases when the spin coupling interactions as well as the f parameter (the ratio of the magnetic field to NN spin coupling interaction) increase.     

Spin compensation temperatures induced by longitudinal fields in a mixed spin-3/2 and spin-5/2 Ising ferrimagnet

I studied the ferrimagnetic Ising model with nearest neighbour interactions for a square lattice and simple cubic one, using mean field theory. The free energy of a mixed spin Ising ferrimagnetic model was calculated from a mean field approximation of the Hamiltonian. By minimizing the free energy, I obtained the equilibrium magnetizations and the compensation temperatures. Clear indications of the single-ion anisotropies on the compensation points of the mixed spin-3/2 and spin-5/2 ferrimagnetic lattices are found. Some interesting behaviors of these systems are obtained depending not only on the values of magnetic anisotropies for both sublattice sites but also on the lattice structure. The longitudinal magnetic fields dependence of the spin compensation temperature is the main focus of research. The possibility of many compensation temperatures is indicated.     

Kinetic lattice models of disorder

We study a class of stochastic Ising (or interacting particle) systems that exhibit a spatial distribution of impurities that change with time. It may model, for instance, steady nonequilibrium conditions of the kind that may be induced by diffusion in some disordered materials. Different assumptions for the degree of coupling between the spin and the impurity configurations are considered. Two interesting well-defined limits for impurities that behave autonomously are (i) the standard (i.e., quenched) bond-diluted, random-field, random-exchange, and spin-glass Ising models, and (ii) kinetic variations of these standard cases in which conflicting kinetics simulate fast and random diffusion of impurities. A generalization of the Mattis model with disorder that describes a crossover from the equilibrium case (i) to the nonequilibrium case (ii) and the microscopic structure of a generalized heat bath are explicitly worked out as specific realizations of our class of models. We sketch a simple classification of transition rates for the time evolution of the spin configuration based on the critical behavior that is exhibited by the models in case (ii). The latter are shown to have an exact solution for any lattice dimension for some special choice of rates.     

Multicanonical sampling of the space of states of ℋ(2, <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>)-vector models

Problems of temperature behavior of specific heat are solved by the entropy simulation method for Ising models on a simple square lattice and a square spin ice (SSI) lattice with nearest neighbor interaction, models of hexagonal lattices with short-range (SR) dipole interaction, as well as with long-range (LR) dipole interaction and free boundary conditions, and models of spin quasilattices with finite interaction radius. It is established that systems of a finite number of Ising spins with LR dipole interaction can have unusual thermodynamic properties characterized by several specific-heat peaks in the absence of an external magnetic field. For a parallel multicanonical sampling method, optimal schemes are found empirically for partitioning the space of states into energy bands for Ising and SSI models, methods of concatenation and renormalization of histograms are discussed, and a flatness criterion of histograms is proposed. It is established that there is no phase transition in a model with nearest neighbor interaction on a hexagonal lattice, while the temperature behavior of specific heat exhibits singularity in the same model, in case of LR interaction. A spin quasilattice is found that exhibits a nonzero value of residual entropy.     

Nonequilibrium wetting transition in a nonthermal 2D Ising model

Nonequilibrium wetting transitions are observed in Monte Carlo simulations of a kinetic spin system in the absence of a detailed balance condition with respect to an energy functional. A nonthermal model is proposed starting from a two-dimensional Ising spin lattice at zero temperature with two boundaries subject to opposing surface fields. Local spin excitations are only allowed by absorbing an energy quantum (photon) below a cutoff energy E _c . Local spin relaxation takes place by emitting a photon which leaves the lattice. Using Monte Carlo simulation nonequilibrium critical wetting transitions are observed as well as nonequilibrium first-order wetting phenomena, respectively in the absence or presence of absorbing states of the spin system. The transitions are identified from the behavior of the probability distribution of a suitably chosen order parameter that was proven useful for studying wetting in the (thermal) Ising model.     

Microcanonical relation between continuous and discrete spin models

A relation between a class of stationary points of the energy landscape of continuous spin models on a lattice and the configurations of an Ising model defined on the same lattice suggests an approximate expression for the microcanonical density of states. Based on this approximation we conjecture that if a O(n) model with ferromagnetic interactions on a lattice has a phase transition, its critical energy density is equal to that of the n=1 case, i.e., an Ising system with the same interactions. The conjecture holds true in the case of long-range interactions. For nearest-neighbor interactions, numerical results are consistent with the conjecture for n=2 and n=3 in three dimensions. For n=2 in two dimensions (XY model) the conjecture yields a prediction for the critical energy of the Bere?inskij-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition, which would be equal to that of the two-dimensional Ising model. We discuss available numerical data in this respect.     

Ising model in the high density limit

It is proved that the free energy per spin in the thermodynamic limit of an Ising model on a lattice with coordination numberz approaches the classical Curie-Weiss free energy in the limitz→∞. The infinite spacial dimension limit of nearest neighbour lattice models is a special case of this result.     

Toom’s Model with Glauber Rates: An Exact Solution Using Elementary Methods

A simple spatially two-dimensional stochastic cellular automaton with asymmetric coupling and synchronous updating according to Glauber rates is considered. While detailed balance is violated it is still possible to compute analytically the stationary probability distribution by elementary means. The stationary distribution can be written as a canonical equilibrium distribution of a spin system on a triangular lattice with nearest neighbour coupling. Thus, the cellular automaton shows a nonequilibrium phase transition with Ising critical behaviour.     

Ising Model on an Infinite Ladder Lattice

In this paper we propose an Ising model on an infinite ladder lattice, which is made of two infinite Ising spin chains with interactions. It is essentially a quasi-one-dimessional Ising model because the length of the ladder lattice is infinite, while its width is finite. We investigate the phase transition and dynamic behavior of Ising model on this quasi-one-dimessional system. We use the generalized transfer matrix method to investigate the phase transition of the system. It is found that there is no nonzero temperature phase transition in this system. At the same time, we are interested in Glauber dynamics. Based on that, we obtain the time evolution of the local spin magnetization by exactly solving a set of master equations.     

Ising Model on an Infinite Ladder Lattice

In this paper we propose an Ising model on an infinite ladder lattice, which is made of two infinite Ising spin chains with interactions. It is essentially a quasi-one-dimessional Ising model because the length of the ladder lattice is infinite, while its width is finite. We investigate the phase transition and dynamic behavior of Ising model on this quasi-one-dimessional system. We use the generalized transfer matrix method to investigate the phase transition of the system. It is found that there is no nonzero temperature phase transition in this system. At the same time, we are interested in Glauber dynamics. Based on that, we obtain the time evolution of the local spin magnetization by exactly solving a set of master equations.     

Order by disorder and gaugelike degeneracy in a quantum pyrochlore antiferromagnet

The (three-dimensional) pyrochlore lattice antiferromagnet with Heisenberg spins of large spin length S is a highly frustrated model with a macroscopic degeneracy of classical ground states. The zero-point energy of (harmonic-order) spin-wave fluctuations distinguishes a subset of these states. I derive an approximate but illuminating effective Hamiltonian, acting within the subspace of Ising spin configurations representing the collinear ground states. It consists of products of Ising spins around loops, i.e., has the form of a Z2 lattice gauge theory. The remaining ground-state entropy is still infinite but not extensive, being O(L) for system size O(L3). All these ground states have unit cells bigger than those considered previously.     

Inhomogeneous Ising models with diagonal structure on a square lattice

We study inhomogeneous Ising models on a square lattice. The nearest neighbour couplings are allowed to be of arbitrary strength and sign such that the coupling distribution is translationally invariant in diagonal direction. We calculate the partition function and free energy for a random coupling distribution of finite period. The phase transition is universally of Ising type. The transition temperature is independent of specific details of the coupling distribution. In particular, unexpected results for the absence of a phase transition are derived. Special examples are considered in detail, phase diagrams and critical temperature are determined. We calculate ground state energy and ground state degeneracy or, equivalently, rest entropy for “pure” frustration models, i.e. models with couplings of fixed strength but arbitrary sign, which never show a phase transition at a finite temperature.