In systems belonging to the universality class of the random field Ising model, the standard hyperscaling relation between critical exponents does not hold, but is replaced with a modified hyperscaling relation. As a result, standard formulations of finite-size scaling near critical points break down. In this work, the consequences of modified hyperscaling are analyzed in detail. The most striking outcome is that the free-energy cost ΔF of interface formation at the critical point is no longer a universal constant, but instead increases as a power law with system size, ΔF∝L(θ), with θ as the violation of hyperscaling critical exponent and L as the linear extension of the system. This modified behavior facilitates a number of numerical approaches that can be used to locate critical points in random field systems from finite-size simulation data. We test and confirm the approaches on two random field systems in three dimensions, namely, the random field Ising model and the demixing transition in the Widom-Rowlinson fluid with quenched obstacles.
In systems belonging to the universality class of the random field Ising model, the standard hyperscaling relation between critical exponents does not hold, but is replaced with a modified hyperscaling relation. As a result, standard formulations of finite-size scaling near critical points break down. In this work, the consequences of modified hyperscaling are analyzed in detail. The most striking outcome is that the free-energy cost ΔF of interface formation at the critical point is no longer a universal constant, but instead increases as a power law with system size, ΔF∝L(θ), with θ as the violation of hyperscaling critical exponent and L as the linear extension of the system. This modified behavior facilitates a number of numerical approaches that can be used to locate critical points in random field systems from finite-size simulation data. We test and confirm the approaches on two random field systems in three dimensions, namely, the random field Ising model and the demixing transition in the Widom-Rowlinson fluid with quenched obstacles.
In addition to the standard scaling rules relating critical exponents at second order transitions, hyperscaling rules involve the dimension of the model. It is well known that in canonical Ising models hyperscaling rules are modified above the upper critical dimension. It was shown by M. Schwartz in 1991 that hyperscaling can also break down in Ising systems with quenched random interactions; Random Field Ising models, which are in this class, have been intensively studied. Here, numerical Ising Spin Glass data relating the scaling of the normalized Binder cumulant to that of the reduced correlation length are presented for dimensions 3, 4, 5, and 7. Hyperscaling is clearly violated in dimensions 3 and 4, as well as above the upper critical dimension D = 6 . Estimates are obtained for the “violation of hyperscaling exponent” values in the various models.
We performed extensive simulations of the random-bond Ising model confined between walls where competitive surface fields act. By properly taking the thermodynamic limit we unambiguously determined wetting transition points of the system, as extrapolation of localization-delocalization transitions of the interface between domains of different orientation driven by the respective fields. The finite-size scaling theory for wetting with short-range fields [E. V. Albano and K. Binder, Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 036101 (2012)] establishes that the average magnetization of the sample, with critical exponent $\ensuremath{\beta}$, is the proper order parameter for the study of wetting. While the hyperscaling relationship given by $\ensuremath{\gamma}+2\ensuremath{\beta}={\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\parallel}}+{\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}$ requires $\ensuremath{\beta}=1/2$ ($\ensuremath{\gamma}=4, {\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\parallel}}=3$, and ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}=2$), the thermodynamic scaling establishes that ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}}_{s}=\ensuremath{\gamma}+\ensuremath{\beta}$, which in contrast requires $\ensuremath{\beta}=0$ (${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}}_{s}=4$), where $\ensuremath{\gamma}, {\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\parallel}}, {\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}$, and ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}}_{s}$ are the critical exponents of the susceptibility, the correlation lengths parallel and perpendicular to the interface, and the gap exponent, respectively. So, we formulate a finite-size scaling theory for wetting without hyperscaling and perform numerical simulations that provide strong evidence of hyperscaling violation (i.e., $\ensuremath{\beta}=0$) and a direct measurement of the susceptibility critical exponent $\ensuremath{\gamma}/{\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}=2.0\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.2$, in agreement with theoretical results for the strong fluctuation regime of wetting transitions with quenched noise.
Finite-size scaling above the upper critical dimension is a long-standing puzzle in the field of statistical physics. Even for pure systems various scaling theories have been suggested, partially corroborated by numerical simulations. In the present manuscript we address this problem in the even more complicated case of disordered systems. In particular, we investigate the scaling behavior of the random-field Ising model at dimension D=7, i.e., above its upper critical dimension D_{u}=6, by employing extensive ground-state numerical simulations. Our results confirm the hypothesis that at dimensions D>D_{u}, linear length scale L should be replaced in finite-size scaling expressions by the effective scale L_{eff}=L^{D/D_{u}}. Via a fitted version of the quotients method that takes this modification, but also subleading scaling corrections into account, we compute the critical point of the transition for Gaussian random fields and provide estimates for the full set of critical exponents. Thus, our analysis indicates that this modified version of finite-size scaling is successful also in the context of the random-field problem.
Universality classes encompass the analogous thermodynamic behavior of unlike physical systems, at different spatial dimensions d , in the vicinity of their critical point. Critical exponents define these classes, with the Ising model being the outstanding prototype that elucidates the differences from the mean-field category, believed to be valid above a critical dimension only. Here, in apparent striking contradiction to the Ising universality class, we demonstrate that the critical behavior of a finite Ising system of N spins in d = 3 obeys mean-field Landau theory in the vicinity of its critical point, with classical critical exponents. Yet, when expressed in terms of the linear size L of the system, the free energy unveils its proper finite-size scaling form, from which the thermodynamic limit critical temperature T c and the Ising critical exponents ν , γ and β can be identified. We find that the larger the size L , the smaller the mean-field region, shrinking to zero in the thermodynamic limit. These conclusions are achieved via the use of an alternative data analysis of Monte Carlo simulations of a three-dimensional Ising model that allows for the evaluation of the free energy per spin f = f ( T , m ; L ) and of the coexistence curve, or spontaneous magnetization at zero magnetic field, m coex = m ( T ; L ) as functions of temperature T and magnetization per spin m = M / N . Our results suggest a revision of the role of mean-field theory in the elucidation of critical phenomena.
Abstract We report a high-precision numerical estimation of the critical exponent α of the specific heat of the random-field Ising model in four dimensions. Our result α = 0.12 ( 1 ) indicates a diverging specific-heat behavior and is consistent with the estimation coming from the modified hyperscaling relation using our estimate of θ via the anomalous dimensions η and η ¯ . Our analysis benefited from a high-statistics zero-temperature numerical simulation of the model for two distributions of the random fields, namely a Gaussian and Poissonian distribution, as well as recent advances in finite-size scaling and reweighting methods for disordered systems. An original estimate of the critical slowing down exponent z of the maximum-flow algorithm used is also provided.
Universality classes encompass the analogous thermodynamic behavior of unlike physical systems, at different spatial dimensions d, in the vicinity of their critical point. Critical exponents define these classes, with the Ising model being the outstanding prototype that elucidates the differences from the mean-field category, believed to be valid above a critical dimension only. Here, in apparent striking contradiction to the Ising universality class, we demonstrate that the critical behavior of a finite Ising system of N spins in d=3 obeys mean-field Landau theory in the vicinity of its critical point, with classical critical exponents. Yet, when expressed in terms of the linear size L of the system, the free energy unveils its proper finite-size scaling form, from which the thermodynamic limit critical temperature Tc and the Ising critical exponents ν, γ and β can be identified. We find that the larger the size L, the smaller the mean-field region, shrinking to zero in the thermodynamic limit. These conclusions are achieved via the use of an alternative approach to collect data from a Monte Carlo simulation of a three-dimensional Ising model that allows for the evaluation of the free energy per spin f=f(T,m;L) and of the coexistence curve, or spontaneous magnetization at zero magnetic field, mcoex=m(T;L) as functions of temperature T and magnetization per spin m=M/N. Our results suggest a revision of the role of mean-field theory in the elucidation of critical phenomena.