arXiv subjects

Felix Ritort

Publications and source records attributed to Felix Ritort.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2001

Monte Carlo Study of the Finite Size Effects on the Magnetization of Maghemite Small Particles

Monte Carlo simulations of a model for $γ$-Fe$_2$O$_3$ (maghemite) single particle of spherical shape are presented aiming at the elucidation the specific role played by the finite size and the surface on the anomalous magnetic behaviour observed in small particle systems at low temperature. The influence of the finite-size effects on the equilibrium properties of extensive magnitudes, field coolings and hysteresis loops is studied an compared to the results for periodic boundaries. It is shown that for the smallest sizes the thermal demagnetization of the surface completely dominates the magnetization while the behaviour of the core is similar to that of the periodic boundary case, independently of $D$. The change in shape of the hysteresis loops with $D$ demonstrates that the reversal mode is strongly influenced by the presence of broken links and disorder at the surface.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2001

Heat transfer and Fourier's law in off-equilibrium systems

We study the most suitable procedure to measure the effective temperature in off-equilibrium systems. We analyze the stationary current established between an off-equilibrium system and a thermometer and the necessary conditions for that current to vanish. We find that the thermometer must have a short characteristic time-scale compared to the typical decorrelation time of the glassy system to correctly measure the effective temperature. This general conclusion is confirmed analyzing an ensemble of harmonic oscillators with Monte Carlo dynamics as an illustrative example of a solvable model of a glass. We also find that the current defined allows to extend Fourier's law to the off-equilibrium regime by consistently defining effective transport coefficients. Our results for the oscillator model explain why thermal conductivities between thermalized and frozen degrees of freedom in structural glasses are extremely small.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2000

Order-parameter fluctuations (OPF) in spin glasses: Monte Carlo simulations and exact results for small sizes

The use of parameters measuring order-parameter fluctuations (OPF) has been encouraged by the recent results reported in \cite{RS} which show that two of these parameters, $G$ and $G_c$, take universal values in the $\lim_{T\to 0}$. In this paper we present a detailed study of parameters measuring OPF for two mean-field models with and without time-reversal symmetry which exhibit different patterns of replica symmetry breaking below the transition: the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick model with and without a field and the Ising p-spin glass (p=3). We give numerical results and analyze the consequences which replica equivalence imposes on these models in the infinite volume. We give evidence for the transition in each system and discuss the character of finite-size effects. Furthermore, a comparative study between this new family of parameters and the usual Binder cumulant analysis shows what kind of new information can be extracted from the finite $T$ behavior of these quantities. The two main outcomes of this work are: 1) Parameters measuring OPF give better estimates than the Binder cumulant for $T_c$ and even for very small systems they give evidence for the transition. 2) For systems with no time-reversal symmetry, parameters defined in terms of connected quantities are the proper ones to look at.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2000

Configurational entropy and the one-step RSB scenario in glasses

In this talk we discuss the possibility of constructing a fluctuation theory for structural glasses in the non-equilibrium aging state. After reviewing well known results in a toy model we discuss some of the key assumptions which support the validity of this theory, in particular the role of the configurational entropy and its relation to the effective temperature. Recent numerical results for mean-field finite-size glasses agree with this scenario.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2000

Finite Size Effects in Small Particle Systems

We present the results of Monte Carlo simulations of a model of a $γ$-Fe$_2$ O$_3$ (maghemite) single particle of spherical shape. The magnetic Fe$^{3+}$ ions are represented by Ising spins on a spinel lattice that consists on two sublattices with octhaedral and tetrahedral coordination with exchange interactions among them and with an external magnetic field. By varying the particle diameter, we have studied the influence of the finite size of the particle on the equilibrium properties, field cooling magnetization and hysteresis loops. The simulations allow to distinguish the different roles played by the surface and the core spins of the particle on its magnetic properties. We show that for small particle sizes the core is uncoupled from the surface, that behaves as a quasi-independent layer, whereas for bigger particles the surface and the core are coupled and follow the behaviour of the bulk.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2000

A conjectured scenario for order-parameter fluctuations in spin glasses

We study order-parameter fluctuations (OPF) in disordered systems by considering the behavior of some recently introduced paramaters $G,G_c$ which have proven very useful to locate phase transitions. We prove that both parameters G (for disconnected overlap disorder averages) and $G_c$ (for connected disorder averages) take the respective universal values 1/3 and 13/31 in the $T\to 0$ limit for any {\em finite} volume provided the ground state is {\em unique} and there is no gap in the ground state local-field distributions, conditions which are met in generic spin-glass models with continuous couplings and no gap at zero coupling. This makes $G,G_c$ ideal parameters to locate phase transitions in disordered systems much alike the Binder cumulant is for ordered systems. We check our results by exactly computing OPF in a simple example of uncoupled spins in the presence of random fields and the one-dimensional Ising spin glass. At finite temperatures, we discuss in which conditions the value 1/3 for G may be recovered by conjecturing different scenarios depending on whether OPF are finite or vanish in the infinite-volume limit. In particular, we discuss replica equivalence and its natural consequence $\lim_{V\to\infty}G(V,T)=1/3$ when OPF are finite. As an example of a model where OPF vanish and replica equivalence does not give information about G we study the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick spherical spin-glass model by doing numerical simulations for small sizes. Again we find results compatible with G=1/3 in the spin-glass phase.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv1999

Dynamical phase transitions in glasses induced by the ruggedness of the free energy landscape

We propose damage spreading (DS) as a tool to investigate the topological features related to the ruggedness of the free energy landscape. We argue that DS measures the positiveness of the largest Lyapunov exponent associated to the basins of attraction visited by the system during its dynamical evolution. We discuss recent results obtained in the framework of mode-coupling theory and comment how to extend them to the study of realistic glasses. Preliminary results are presented for purely repulsive soft-sphere glasses.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv1997

Quantum phase transition in spin glasses with multi-spin interactions

We examine the phase diagram of the $p$-interaction spin glass model in a transverse field. We consider a spherical version of the model and compare with results obtained in the Ising case. The analysis of the spherical model, with and without quantization, reveals a phase diagram very similar to that obtained in the Ising case. In particular, using the static approximation, reentrance is observed at low temperatures in both the quantum spherical and Ising models. This is an artifact of the approximation and disappears when the imaginary time dependence of the order parameter is taken into account. The resulting phase diagram is checked by accurate numerical investigation of the phase boundaries.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv1997

Solvable dynamics in a system of interacting random tops

In this letter a new solvable model of synchronization dynamics is introduced. It consists of a system of long range interacting tops with random precession frequencies. The model allows for an explicit study of orientational effects in synchronized phenomena. A stability analysis of the incoherent solution is performed for different types of orientational disorder. A system with only orientational disorder always synchronizes in the absence of external noise.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv1997

Tempering simulations in the four dimensional +-J Ising spin glass in a magnetic field

We study the four dimensional (4D) $\pm J$ Ising spin glass in a magnetic field by using the simulated tempering method recently introduced by Marinari and Parisi. We compute numerically the first four moments of the order parameter probability distribution $P(q)$. We find a finite cusp in the spin-glass susceptibility and strong tendency to paramagnetic ordering at low temperatures. Assuming a well defined transition we are able to bound its critical temperature.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv1996

Classical and Quantum Behavior in Mean-Field Glassy Systems

In this talk I review some recent developments which shed light on the main connections between structural glasses and mean-field spin glass models with a discontinuous transition. I also discuss the role of quantum fluctuations on the dynamical instability found in mean-field spin glasses with a discontinuous transition. In mean-field models with pairwise interactions in a transverse field it is shown, in the framework of the static approximation, that such instability is suppressed at zero temperature.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv1996

Solving the Schroedinger equation for the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick model in a transverse field

By numerically solving the Schröedinger equation for small sizes we investigate the quantum critical point of the infinite-range Ising spin glass in a transverse field at zero temperature. Despite its simplicity the method yields accurate information on the value of the critical field and critical exponents. We obtain $Γ_c=1.47\pm 0.01$ and check that exponents are in agreement with analytical approaches.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv1996

Relaxation processes and entropic traps in the Backgammon model

We examine the density-density correlation function in a model recently proposed to study the effect of entropy barriers in glassy dynamics. We find that the relaxation proceeds in two steps with a fast beta process followed by alpha relaxation. The results are physically interpreted in the context of an adiabatic approximation which allows to separate the two processes, and to define an effective temperature in the off-equilibrium dynamics of the model. We investigate the behavior of the response function associated to the density, and find violations of the fluctuation dissipation theorem.

cond-mat↗

arXiv1996

Quantum critical effects in mean-field glassy systems

We consider the effects of quantum fluctuations in mean-field quantum spin-glass models with pairwise interactions. We examine the nature of the quantum glass transition at zero temperature in a transverse field. In models (such as the random orthogonal model) where the classical phase transition is discontinuous an analysis using the static approximation reveals that the transition becomes continuous at zero temperature.

cond-mat↗

arXiv1996

Fragile-glass behavior of a short range $p$-spin model

In this paper we propose a short range generalization of the $p$-spin interaction spin-glass model. The model is well suited to test the idea that an entropy collapse is at the bottom-line of the dynamical singularity encountered in structural glasses. The model is studied in three dimensions through Monte Carlo simulations, which put in evidence fragile glass behavior with stretched exponential relaxation and super-Arrhenius behavior of the relaxation time. Our data are in favor of a Vogel-Fulcher behavior of the relaxation time, related to an entropy collapse at the Kauzmann temperature. We however encounter difficulties analogous to those found in experimental systems when extrapolating thermodynamical data at low temperatures. We study the spin glass susceptibility investigating the behavior of the correlation length in the system. We find that the the increase of the relaxation time is not accompanied by any growth of the correlation length. We discuss the scaling properties of off-equilibrium dynamics in the glassy regime, finding qualitative agreement with the mean-field theory.

cond-mat↗

arXiv1996

Relaxational behavior of the infinite-range Ising spin-glass in a transverse field

We study the zero-temperature behavior of the infinite-ranged Ising spin glass in a transverse field. Using spin summation techniques and Monte Carlo methods we characterize the zero-temperature quantum transition. Our results are well compatible with a value $ν=\frac{1}{4}$ for the correlation length exponent, $z=4$ for the dynamical exponent and an algebraic decay $t^{-1}$ for the imaginary-time correlation function. The zero-temperature relaxation of the energy in the presence of the transverse field shows that the system monotonically reaches the ground state energy due to tunneling processes and displays strong glassy effects.

cond-mat↗

arXiv1995

Glassiness in a model without energy barriers

We propose a microscopic model without energy barriers in order to explain some generic features observed in structural glasses. The statics can be exactly solved while the dynamics has been clarified using Monte Carlo calculations. Although the model has no thermodynamic transition it captures some of the essential features of real glasses, i.e., extremely slow relaxation, time dependent hysteresis effects, anomalous increase of the relaxation time and aging. This suggests that the effect of entropy barriers can be an important ingredient to account for the behavior observed in real glasses.

cond-mat↗

arXiv1995

Replica Theory and Large D Josephson Junction Hypercubic Models

We study the statistical mechanics of a $D$-dimensional array of Josephson junctions in presence of a magnetic field on a lattice of side $2$. In the high temperature region the thermodynamical properties can be computed in the limit $D \to \infty$. A conjectural form of the thermodynamic properties in the low temperature phase is obtained by assuming that they are the same of an appropriate spin glass system, based on quenched disordered couplings. Numerical simulations show that this conjecture is very accurate in one regime of the magnetic field, while it is probably slightly inaccurate in a second regime.

cond-mat↗