arXiv subjects

V. Martin-Mayor

Publications and source records attributed to V. Martin-Mayor.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Evidence of de Almeida-Thouless line below six dimensions

We study the critical behavior of the Ising spin glass in five spatial dimensions through large-scale Monte Carlo simulations and finite-size scaling analysis. Numerical evidence for a phase transition is found both with and without an externally applied magnetic field. The critical exponents are computed in both cases. We compute with a 10% accuracy the lower critical dimension at zero magnetic field, finding a result consistent with estimates obtained with entirely different methods, by combining our estimates of critical exponents in five dimensions with previous results for other spatial dimensions. When the results in a magnetic field are compared with previous results in six spatial dimensions, qualitative differences emerge in the scaling behavior of the correlation functions at zero external momentum. This anomalous scaling does not extend to other wavevectors. We do not find indications of a quasi first-order phase transition in a magnetic field.

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arXiv2025

Microcanonical simulated annealing: Massively parallel Monte Carlo simulations with sporadic random-number generation

Numerical simulations of models and theories that describe complex systems such as spin glasses are becoming increasingly important. Beyond fundamental research, these computational methods also find practical applications in fields like combinatorial optimization. However, Monte Carlo simulations, an important subcategory of these methods, are plagued by a major drawback: they are extremely greedy for (pseudo) random numbers. The total fraction of computer time dedicated to random-number generation increases as the hardware grows more sophisticated, and can get prohibitive for special-purpose computing platforms. We propose here a general-purpose microcanonical simulated annealing (MicSA) formalism that dramatically reduces such a burden. The algorithm is fully adapted to a massively parallel computation, as we show in the particularly demanding benchmark of the three-dimensional Ising spin glass. We carry out very stringent numerical tests of the new algorithm by comparing our results, obtained on GPUs, with high-precision standard (i.e., random-number-greedy) simulations performed on the Janus II custom-built supercomputer. In those cases where thermal equilibrium is reachable (i.e., in the paramagnetic phase), both simulations reach compatible values. More significantly, barring short-time corrections, a simple time rescaling suffices to map the MicSA off-equilibrium dynamics onto the results obtained with standard simulations.

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arXiv2024

Spin-glass dynamics: experiment, theory and simulation

The study of spin-glass dynamics, long considered the paradigmatic complex system, has reached important milestones. The availability of single crystals has allowed the experimental measurement of spin-glass coherence lengths of almost macroscopic dimensions, while the advent of special-purpose computers enables dynamical simulations that approach experimental scales. This review provides an account of the quantitative convergence of these two avenues of research, with precise experimental measurements of the expected scaling laws and numerical reproduction of classic experimental results, such as memory and rejuvenation. The article opens with a brief review of the defining spin-glass properties, randomness and frustration, and their experimental consequences. These apparently simple characteristics are shown to generate rich and complex physics. Models are introduced that enable quantitative dynamical descriptions. After a summary of the main numerical results in equilibrium, paying particular attention to temperature chaos, this review examines off-equilibrium dynamics in the absence of a magnetic field and shows how it can be related to equilibrium structures through the fluctuation-dissipation relations. The nonlinear response at a given temperature is then developed, including experiments and scaling in the vicinity of the transition temperature $T_\mathrm{g}$. The consequences of temperature change $\unicode{x2013}$including temperature chaos, rejuvenation, and memory$\unicode{x2013}$ are reviewed. The interpretation of these phenomena requires identifying several length scales relevant to dynamics, which, in turn, generate new insights. Finally, issues for future investigations are introduced, including what is to be nailed down theoretically, why the Ising Edwards-Anderson model is so successful at modeling spin-glass dynamics, and experiments yet to be undertaken.

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arXiv2023

Multiscaling in the 3D critical site-diluted Ising ferromagnet

We have studied numerically the appearance of multiscaling behavior in the three-dimensional ferromagnetic Ising site diluted model, in the form of a multifractal distribution of the decay exponents for the spatial correlation functions at the critical temperature. We have computed the exponents of the long-distance decay of higher moments of the correlation function, up to the 10th power, by studying three different quantities: global susceptibilities, local susceptibilities and correlation functions. We have found very clear evidences for multiscaling behavior.

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arXiv2023

Quantifying memory in spin glasses

Rejuvenation and memory, long considered the distinguishing features of spin glasses, have recently been proven to result from the growth of multiple length scales. This insight, enabled by simulations on the Janus~II supercomputer, has opened the door to a quantitative analysis. We combine numerical simulations with comparable experiments to introduce two coefficients that quantify memory. A third coefficient has been recently presented by Freedberg et al. We show that these coefficients are physically equivalent by studying their temperature and waiting-time dependence.

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arXiv2023

Multifractality in spin glasses

We unveil the multifractal behavior of Ising spin glasses in their low-temperature phase. Using the Janus II custom-built supercomputer, the spin-glass correlation function is studied locally. Dramatic fluctuations are found when pairs of sites at the same distance are compared. The scaling of these fluctuations, as the spin-glass coherence length grows with time, is characterized through the computation of the singularity spectrum and its corresponding Legendre transform. A comparatively small number of site pairs controls the average correlation that governs the response to a magnetic field. We explain how this scenario of dramatic fluctuations (at length scales smaller than the coherence length) can be reconciled with the smooth, self-averaging behavior that has long been considered to describe spin-glass dynamics.

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arXiv2022

Phase transition in the computational complexity of the shortest common superstring and genome assembly

Genome assembly, the process of reconstructing a long genetic sequence by aligning and merging short fragments, or reads, is known to be NP-hard, either as a version of the shortest common superstring problem or in a Hamiltonian-cycle formulation. That is, the computing time is believed to grow exponentially with the the problem size in the worst case. Despite this fact, high-throughput technologies and modern algorithms currently allow bioinformaticians to handle datasets of billions of reads. Using methods from statistical mechanics, we address this conundrum by demonstrating the existence of a phase transition in the computational complexity of the problem and showing that practical instances always fall in the 'easy' phase (solvable by polynomial-time algorithms). In addition, we propose a Markov-chain Monte Carlo method that outperforms common deterministic algorithms in the hard regime.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2022

Numerical Simulations and Replica Symmetry Breaking

Use of dedicated computers in spin glass simulations allows one to equilibrate very large samples (of size as large as $L=32$) and to carry out "computer experiments" that can be compared to (and analyzed in combination with) laboratory experiments on spin-glass samples. In the absence of a magnetic field, the most economic conclusion of the combined analysis of equilibrium and non-equilibrium simulations is that an RSB spin glass phase is present in three spatial dimensions. However, in the presence of a field, the lower critical dimension for the de Almeida-Thouless transition seems to be larger than three.

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arXiv2022

On the superposition principle and non-linear response in spin glasses

The extended principle of superposition has been a touchstone of spin glass dynamics for almost thirty years. The Uppsala group has demonstrated its validity for the metallic spin glass, CuMn, for magnetic fields $H$ up to 10 Oe at the reduced temperature $T_\mathrm{r}=T/T_\mathrm{g} = 0.95$, where $T_\mathrm{g}$ is the spin glass condensation temperature. For $H > 10$ Oe, they observe a departure from linear response which they ascribe to the development of non-linear dynamics. The thrust of this paper is to develop a microscopic origin for this behavior by focusing on the time development of the spin glass correlation length, $\xi(t,t_\mathrm{w};H)$. Here, $t$ is the time after $H$ changes, and $t_\mathrm{w}$ is the time from the quench for $T>T_\mathrm{g}$ to the working temperature $T$ until $H$ changes. We connect the growth of $\xi(t,t_\mathrm{w};H)$ to the barrier heights $\Delta(t_\mathrm{w})$ that set the dynamics. The effect of $H$ on the magnitude of $\Delta(t_\mathrm{w})$ is responsible for affecting differently the two dynamical protocols associated with turning $H$ off (TRM, or thermoremanent magnetization) or on (ZFC, or zero field-cooled magnetization). In this paper, we display the difference between the zero-field cooled $\xi_{\text {ZFC}}(t,t_\mathrm{w};H)$ and the thermoremanent magnetization $\xi_{\text {TRM}}(t,t_\mathrm{w};H)$ correlation lengths as $H$ increases, both experimentally and through numerical simulations, corresponding to the violation of the extended principle of superposition in line with the finding of the Uppsala Group.

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arXiv2022

Memory and rejuvenation in spin glasses: aging systems are ruled by more than one length scale

Memory and rejuvenation effects in the magnetic response of off-equilibrium spin glasses have been widely regarded as the doorway into the experimental exploration of ultrametricity and temperature chaos (maybe the most exotic features in glassy free-energy landscapes). Unfortunately, despite more than twenty years of theoretical efforts following the experimental discovery of memory and rejuvenation, these effects have thus far been impossible to simulate reliably. Yet, three recent developments convinced us to accept this challenge: first, the custom-built Janus II supercomputer makes it possible to carry out "numerical experiments" in which the very same quantities that can be measured in single crystals of CuMn are computed from the simulation, allowing for parallel analysis of the simulation/experiment data. Second, Janus II simulations have taught us how numerical and experimental length scales should be compared. Third, we have recently understood how temperature chaos materializes in aging dynamics. All three aspects have proved crucial for reliably reproducing rejuvenation and memory effects on the computer. Our analysis shows that (at least) three different length scales play a key role in aging dynamics, while essentially all theoretical analyses of the aging dynamics emphasize the presence and the crucial role of a single glassy correlation length.

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arXiv2021

Numerical test of the replica-symmetric Hamiltonian for the correlations of the critical state of spin glasses in a field

A growing body of evidence indicates that the sluggish low-temperature dynamics of glass formers (e.g. supercooled liquids, colloids or spin glasses) is due to a growing correlation length. Which is the effective field theory that describes these correlations? The natural field theory was drastically simplified by Bray and Roberts in 1980. More than forty years later, we confirm the tenets of Bray and Roberts theory by studying the Ising spin glass in an externally applied magnetic field, both in four spatial dimensions (data obtained from the Janus collaboration) and on the Bethe lattice.

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arXiv2021

Temperature chaos is present in off-equilibrium spin-glass dynamics

We find a dynamic effect in the non-equilibrium dynamics of a spin glass that closely parallels equilibrium temperature chaos. This effect, that we name dynamic temperature chaos, is spatially heterogeneous to a large degree. The key controlling quantity is the time-growing spin-glass coherence length. Our detailed characterization of dynamic temperature chaos paves the way for the analysis of recent and forthcoming experiments. This work has been made possible thanks to the most massive simulation to date of non-equilibrium dynamics, carried out on the Janus~II custom-built supercomputer.

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arXiv2021

Spin-glass dynamics in the presence of a magnetic field: exploration of microscopic properties

The synergy between experiment, theory, and simulations enables a microscopic analysis of spin-glass dynamics in a magnetic field in the vicinity of and below the spin-glass transition temperature $T_\mathrm{g}$. The spin-glass correlation length, $ξ(t,t_\mathrm{w};T)$, is analysed both in experiments and in simulations in terms of the waiting time $t_\mathrm{w}$ after the spin glass has been cooled down to a stabilised measuring temperature $T<T_\mathrm{g}$ and of the time $t$ after the magnetic field is changed. This correlation length is extracted experimentally for a CuMn 6 at. % single crystal, as well as for simulations on the Janus II special-purpose supercomputer, the latter with time and length scales comparable to experiment. The non-linear magnetic susceptibility is reported from experiment and simulations, using $ξ(t,t_\mathrm{w};T)$ as the scaling variable. Previous experiments are reanalysed, and disagreements about the nature of the Zeeman energy are resolved. The growth of the spin-glass magnetisation in zero-field magnetisation experiments, $M_\mathrm{ZFC}(t,t_\mathrm{w};T)$, is measured from simulations, verifying the scaling relationships in the dynamical or non-equilibrium regime. Our preliminary search for the de Almeida-Thouless line in $D=3$ is discussed.

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arXiv2021

How we are leading a 3-XORSAT challenge: from the energy landscape to the algorithm and its efficient implementation on GPUs

A recent 3-XORSAT challenge required to minimize a very complex and rough energy function, typical of glassy models with a random first order transition and a golf course like energy landscape. We present the ideas beyond the quasi-greedy algorithm and its very efficient implementation on GPUs that are allowing us to rank first in such a competition. We suggest a better protocol to compare algorithmic performances and we also provide analytical predictions about the exponential growth of the times to find the solution in terms of free-energy barriers.

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arXiv2020

Scaling law describes the spin-glass response in theory, experiments and simulations

The correlation length $ξ$, a key quantity in glassy dynamics, can now be precisely measured for spin glasses both in experiments and in simulations. However, known analysis methods lead to discrepancies either for large external fields or close to the glass temperature. We solve this problem by introducing a scaling law that takes into account both the magnetic field and the time-dependent spin-glass correlation length. The scaling law is successfully tested against experimental measurements in a CuMn single crystal and against large-scale simulations on the Janus II dedicated computer.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2020

On the Slowing Down of Spin Glass Correlation Length Growth:simulations meet experiments

The growth of the spin-glass correlation length has been measured as a function of the waiting time $t_{\mathrm{w}}$ on a single crystal of CuMn (6 at.\%), reaching values $ξ\sim 150$ nm, larger than any other glassy correlation-length measured to date. We find an aging rate $\mathrm{d}\ln\,t_{\mathrm{w}}/\mathrm{d}\ln\,ξ$ larger than found in previous measurements, which evinces a dynamic slowing-down as $ξ$ grows. Our measured aging rate is compared with simulation results by the Janus collaboration. After critical effects are taken into account, we find excellent agreement with the Janus data.

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arXiv2020

Dimensional crossover in the aging dynamics of spin glasses in a film geometry

Motivated by recent experiments of exceptional accuracy, we study numerically the spin-glass dynamics in a film geometry. We cover all the relevant time regimes, from picoseconds to equilibrium, at temperatures at and below the 3D critical point. The dimensional crossover from 3D to 2D dynamics, that starts when the correlation length becomes comparable to the film thickness, consists of four dynamical regimes. Our analysis, based on a Renormalization Group transformation, finds consistent the overall physical picture employed by Orbach et al. in the interpretation of their experiments.

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arXiv2019

The Mpemba effect in spin glasses is a persistent memory effect

The Mpemba effect occurs when a hot system cools faster than an initially colder one, when both are refrigerated in the same thermal reservoir. Using the custom built supercomputer Janus II, we study the Mpemba effect in spin glasses and show that it is a non-equilibrium process, governed by the coherence length ξof the system. The effect occurs when the bath temperature lies in the glassy phase, but it is not necessary for the thermal protocol to cross the critical temperature. In fact, the Mpemba effect follows from a strong relationship between the internal energy and ξthat turns out to be a sure-tell sign of being in the glassy phase. Thus, the Mpemba effect presents itself as an intriguing new avenue for the experimental study of the coherence length in supercooled liquids and other glass formers.

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