Corrections to scaling in disordered systems with competing interactions

Using a mean-field effective-field model for disordered systems with competing interactions we have (a) obtained explicit expressions for the corrections to scaling for both ferromagnets and spin glasses up to order h³ in the magnetization, and (b) performed numerical calculations of the non-linear susceptibility of both ferromagnets and spin glasses as a function of reduced field and temperature. Scaling plots constructed from the numerical data show that the departures from universality are much more significant for spin glasses than they are for ferromagnets and that, while the discrepancy can be reduced through a redefinition of the scaling variables, a knowledge of the proper non-universal scaling correction is essential for spin glasses if a reasonable degree of universality is to be achieved.