Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:1212.0643 · Journal of Statistical Mechanics Theory and Experiment

Dynamics of Ising models near zero temperature: real-space renormalization approach

Cécile Monthus, Thomas Garel

Published Feb 25, 2013• 7 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We consider the stochastic dynamics of Ising ferromagnets (either pure or random) near zero temperature. The master equation satisfying detailed balance can be mapped onto a quantum Hamiltonian which has an exact zero-energy ground state representing the thermal equilibrium. The largest relaxation time $t_{eq}$ governing the convergence towards this Boltzmann equilibrium in finite-size systems is determined by the lowest non-vanishing eigenvalue $E_1=1/t_{eq}$ of the quantum Hamiltonian $H$. We introduce and study a real-space renormalization procedure for the quantum Hamiltonian associated to the single-spin-flip dynamics of Ising ferromagnets near zero temperature. We solve explicitly the renormalization flow for two cases. (i) For the one-dimensional random ferromagnetic chain with free boundary conditions, the largest relaxation time $t_{eq}$ can be expressed in terms of the set of random couplings for various choices of the dynamical transition rates. The validity of these RG results in $d=1$ is checked by comparison with another approach. (ii) For the pure Ising model on a Cayley tree of branching ratio $K$, we compute the exponential growth of $t_{eq}(N)$ with the number $N$ of generations.

DOI
10.1088/1742-5468/2013/02/p02037

Related papers

Dynamical barriers in the Dyson hierarchical model via real space renormalization

Cécile Monthus, Thomas Garel

The Dyson hierarchical one-dimensional Ising model of parameter σ > 0 contains long-ranged ferromagnetic couplings decaying as 1/ r 1+σ in terms of the distance r . We study the stochastic dynamics near zero temperature via the real space renormalization introduced in our previous work (Monthus and Garel, 2012 arXiv: 1212.0643 ) in order to compute explicitly the equilibrium time t eq ( L ) as a function of the system size L . For σ < 1 where the static critical temperature for the ferromagnetic transition is finite, T c > 0, we obtain that dynamical barriers grow as the power law ln t eq ( L ) ≃ β(4 J 0 /3(2 1−σ − 1)) L 1−σ . For σ = 1 where the static critical temperature vanishes, T c = 0, we obtain that dynamical barriers grow logarithmically as ln t eq ( L ) ≃ [β(4 J 0 /3ln2) − 1]ln L . We also compute finite contributions to the dynamical barriers that can depend on the choice of transition rates satisfying detailed balance.

arXiv:1212.4361•Journal of Statistical Mechanics Theory and Experiment•Feb 12, 2013•11 citations

Low-temperature transition of 2d random-bond Ising model and quantum infinite randomness

Akshat Pandey, Aditya Mahadevan, A. Alan Middleton +1 more

At low temperatures, the classical two-dimensional random bond Ising model undergoes a frustration-driven ferromagnet-to-paramagnet transition controlled by a zero-temperature fixed point separating ferromagnet and spin glass phases. We show that this critical point can be understood through a renormalization group transformation that constructs the ground state of the Ising model through a sequence of Hamiltonians that, starting with an unfrustrated model, iteratively adds in frustration until the target Hamiltonian is reached. Via a mapping of the thermodynamics of the 2d Ising model to the spectral properties of a related Hermitian matrix -- the Hamiltonian of a noninteracting quantum problem -- this RG procedure corresponds to an iterative diagonalization of the quantum Hamiltonian. The flow toward zero temperature in the Ising picture manifests as a flow toward infinite randomness in the spectrum of the quantum Hamiltonian, with the log gap of the Hamiltonian scaling as a power of the system size: $\log \varepsilon_{\it min}^{-1} \sim L^ψ$. The tunneling exponent $ψ$ is equal to the spin stiffness exponent $θ_c$ characterizing the zero-temperature fixed point.

cond-mat.stat-mechCross-listedarXiv:2603.02308•Mar 4, 2026•0 citations

Nonequilibrium dynamics of random field Ising spin chains: Exact results via real space renormalization group

Daniel S. Fisher, Pierre Le Doussal, Cécile Monthus

The nonequilibrium dynamics of classical random Ising spin chains with nonconserved magnetization are studied using an asymptotically exact real space renormalization group (RSRG). We focus on random field Ising model (RFIM) spin chains with and without a uniform applied field, as well as on Ising spin glass chains in an applied field. For the RFIM we consider a universal regime where the random field and the temperature are both much smaller than the exchange coupling. In this regime, the Imry-Ma length that sets the scale of the equilibrium correlations is large and the coarsening of domains from random initial conditions (e.g., a quench from high temperature) occurs over a wide range of length scales. The two types of domain walls that occur diffuse in opposite random potentials, of the form studied by Sinai, and domain walls annihilate when they meet. Using the RSRG we compute many universal asymptotic properties of both the nonequilibrium dynamics and the equilibrium limit. We find that the configurations of the domain walls converge rapidly toward a set of system-specific time-dependent positions that are independent of the initial conditions. Thus the behavior of this nonequilibrium system is pseudodeterministic at long times because of the broad distributions of barriers that occur on the long length scales involved. Specifically, we obtain the time dependence of the energy, the magnetization, and the distribution of domain sizes (found to be statistically independent). The equilibrium limits agree with known exact results. We obtain the exact scaling form of the two-point equal time correlation function <S0(t)Sx(t)> and the two-time autocorrelations <S0(t('))S0(t)>. We also compute the persistence properties of a single spin, of local magnetization, and of domains. The analogous quantities for the +/-J Ising spin glass in an applied field are obtained from the RFIM via a gauge transformation. In addition to these we compute the two-point two-time correlation function <S0(t)Sx(t)><S0(t('))Sx(t('))> which can in principle be measured by experiments on spin-glass-like systems. The thermal fluctuations are studied and found to be dominated by rare events; in particular all moments of truncated equal time correlations are computed. Physical properties which are typically measured in aging experiments are also studied, focusing on the response to a small magnetic field which is applied after waiting for the system to equilibrate for a time t(w). The nonequilibrium fluctuation-dissipation ratio X(t,t(w)) is computed. We find that for (t-t(w)) approximately t(alpha)(w) with alpha;<1, the ratio equal to its equilibrium value X=1, although time translational invariance does not hold in this regime. For t-t(w) approximately t(w) the ratio exhibits an aging regime with a nontrivial X=X(t/t(w)) not equal to 1, but the behavior is markedly different from mean field theory. Finally the distribution of the total magnetization and of the number of domains is computed for large finite size systems. General issues about convergence toward equilibrium and the possibilities of weakly history-dependent evolution in other random systems are discussed.

arXiv:cond-mat/0012290•Physical review. E, Statistical physics, plasmas, fluids, and related interdisciplinary topics•Nov 14, 2001•77 citations

Activated dynamic scaling in the random-field Ising model: A nonperturbative functional renormalization group approach

Ivan Balog, Gilles Tarjus

The random-field Ising model shows an extreme critical slowdown that has been described by activated dynamic scaling: The characteristic time of relaxation toward equilibrium diverges exponentially with the correlation length $ln\ensuremath{\tau}\ensuremath{\sim}{\ensuremath{\xi}}^{\ensuremath{\psi}}/T$, with $\ensuremath{\psi}$ an a priori unknown barrier exponent. Through a nonperturbative functional renormalization group, we show that for spatial dimensions $d$ less than a critical value ${d}_{\text{DR}}\ensuremath{\simeq}5.1$, also associated with dimensional-reduction breakdown, $\ensuremath{\psi}=\ensuremath{\theta}$ with $\ensuremath{\theta}$ the temperature exponent near the zero-temperature fixed point that controls the critical behavior. For $d>{d}_{\text{DR}}$, on the other hand, $\ensuremath{\psi}=\ensuremath{\theta}\ensuremath{-}2\ensuremath{\lambda}$, where $\ensuremath{\theta}=2$ and $\ensuremath{\lambda}>0$ an additional exponent. At the upper critical dimension $d=6,\ensuremath{\lambda}=1$, so that $\ensuremath{\psi}=0$, and activated scaling gives way to conventional scaling. We give a physical interpretation of the results in terms of collective events in real space, avalanches, and droplets. We also propose a way to check the two regimes by computer simulations of long-range one-dimensional systems.

arXiv:1501.05770•Physical Review B•Jun 3, 2015•20 citations

Critical behavior of random transverse-field Ising spin chains

Daniel S. Fisher

A real-space renormalization-group treatment of random transverse-field Ising spin chains that was introduced previously is developed and extensively analyzed. It yields results that are asymptotically exact in the critical region near the zero-temperature para-to-ferromagnetic quantum phase transition. In particular, the exact scaling function is obtained for the magnetization as a function of a uniform applied magnetic field and the distance to the critical point, and up to the solution of a linear ordinary differential equation whose solution can be exhaustively analyzed, the scaling function of the average spin-spin correlation function is also obtained. Thus more exact information is obtainable about the critical behavior for this random model than is known for the pure version which is equivalent to the two-dimensional Ising model. The basic reason for this is the extremely broad distribution of energy scales that occurs at low energies near the critical point of the random system. For the random chain the distribution of the magnetization of the first spin in a semi-infinite system is also studied and the results found to agree in the scaling limit with results of McCoy obtained from the exact solution of the closely related McCoy-Wu Ising model; this provides strong justification for the validity of the present approach. The singular properties of the weakly ordered and weakly disordered ``Griffiths' phases'' that occur at zero temperature near the critical point are also studied, as well as the behavior at low but nonzero temperature. Possible extensions of the results and general lessons drawn from them for other random systems are briefly discussed.

Physical review. B, Condensed matter•Mar 1, 1995•828 citations

Thermal transitions in a one-dimensional, finite-size Ising model

V. A. Stepanyan, Andreas F. Tzortzakakis, David Petrosyan +1 more

Abstract We revisit the one-dimensional ferromagnetic Ising spin chain with a finite number of spins and periodic boundaries, deriving analytically and verifying numerically its various stationary and dynamical properties at different temperatures. In particular, we determine the probability distributions of magnetization, the number of domain walls, and the corresponding residence times for different chain lengths and magnetic fields. While we study finite systems at thermal equilibrium, we identify several temperatures similar to the critical temperatures for first-order phase transitions in the thermodynamic limit. We illustrate the utility of our results by their application to structural transitions in biopolymers having non-trivial intermediate equilibrium states.

arXiv:2307.15479•Journal of Statistical Mechanics Theory and Experiment•Mar 11, 2024•3 citations
We consider the stochastic dynamics of Ising ferromagnets (either pure or random) near zero temperature. The master equation satisfying detailed balance can be mapped onto a quantum Hamiltonian which has an exact zero-energy ground state representing the thermal equilibrium. The largest relaxation time teqt_{eq}teq​ governing the convergence towards this Boltzmann equilibrium in finite-size systems is determined by the lowest non-vanishing eigenvalue E1=1/teqE_1=1/t_{eq}E1​=1/teq​ of the quantum Hamiltonian HHH. We introduce and study a real-space renormalization procedure for the quantum Hamiltonian associated to the single-spin-flip dynamics of Ising ferromagnets near zero temperature. We solve explicitly the renormalization flow for two cases. (i) For the one-dimensional random ferromagnetic chain with free boundary conditions, the largest relaxation time teqt_{eq}teq​ can be expressed in terms of the set of random couplings for various choices of the dynamical transition rates. The validity of these RG results in d=1d=1d=1 is checked by comparison with another approach. (ii) For the pure Ising model on a Cayley tree of branching ratio KKK, we compute the exponential growth of teq(N)t_{eq}(N)teq​(N) with the number NNN of generations.
The Dyson hierarchical one-dimensional Ising model of parameter σ > 0 contains long-ranged ferromagnetic couplings decaying as 1/ r 1+σ in terms of the distance r . We study the stochastic dynamics near zero temperature via the real space renormalization introduced in our previous work (Monthus and Garel, 2012 arXiv: 1212.0643 ) in order to compute explicitly the equilibrium time t eq ( L ) as a function of the system size L . For σ < 1 where the static critical temperature for the ferromagnetic transition is finite, T c > 0, we obtain that dynamical barriers grow as the power law ln t eq ( L ) ≃ β(4 J 0 /3(2 1−σ − 1)) L 1−σ . For σ = 1 where the static critical temperature vanishes, T c = 0, we obtain that dynamical barriers grow logarithmically as ln t eq ( L ) ≃ [β(4 J 0 /3ln2) − 1]ln L . We also compute finite contributions to the dynamical barriers that can depend on the choice of transition rates satisfying detailed balance.
At low temperatures, the classical two-dimensional random bond Ising model undergoes a frustration-driven ferromagnet-to-paramagnet transition controlled by a zero-temperature fixed point separating ferromagnet and spin glass phases. We show that this critical point can be understood through a renormalization group transformation that constructs the ground state of the Ising model through a sequence of Hamiltonians that, starting with an unfrustrated model, iteratively adds in frustration until the target Hamiltonian is reached. Via a mapping of the thermodynamics of the 2d Ising model to the spectral properties of a related Hermitian matrix -- the Hamiltonian of a noninteracting quantum problem -- this RG procedure corresponds to an iterative diagonalization of the quantum Hamiltonian. The flow toward zero temperature in the Ising picture manifests as a flow toward infinite randomness in the spectrum of the quantum Hamiltonian, with the log gap of the Hamiltonian scaling as a power of the system size: log⁡εmin−1∼Lψ\log \varepsilon_{\it min}^{-1} \sim L^ψlogεmin−1​∼Lψ. The tunneling exponent ψψψ is equal to the spin stiffness exponent θcθ_cθc​ characterizing the zero-temperature fixed point.
The nonequilibrium dynamics of classical random Ising spin chains with nonconserved magnetization are studied using an asymptotically exact real space renormalization group (RSRG). We focus on random field Ising model (RFIM) spin chains with and without a uniform applied field, as well as on Ising spin glass chains in an applied field. For the RFIM we consider a universal regime where the random field and the temperature are both much smaller than the exchange coupling. In this regime, the Imry-Ma length that sets the scale of the equilibrium correlations is large and the coarsening of domains from random initial conditions (e.g., a quench from high temperature) occurs over a wide range of length scales. The two types of domain walls that occur diffuse in opposite random potentials, of the form studied by Sinai, and domain walls annihilate when they meet. Using the RSRG we compute many universal asymptotic properties of both the nonequilibrium dynamics and the equilibrium limit. We find that the configurations of the domain walls converge rapidly toward a set of system-specific time-dependent positions that are independent of the initial conditions. Thus the behavior of this nonequilibrium system is pseudodeterministic at long times because of the broad distributions of barriers that occur on the long length scales involved. Specifically, we obtain the time dependence of the energy, the magnetization, and the distribution of domain sizes (found to be statistically independent). The equilibrium limits agree with known exact results. We obtain the exact scaling form of the two-point equal time correlation function <S0(t)Sx(t)> and the two-time autocorrelations <S0(t('))S0(t)>. We also compute the persistence properties of a single spin, of local magnetization, and of domains. The analogous quantities for the +/-J Ising spin glass in an applied field are obtained from the RFIM via a gauge transformation. In addition to these we compute the two-point two-time correlation function <S0(t)Sx(t)><S0(t('))Sx(t('))> which can in principle be measured by experiments on spin-glass-like systems. The thermal fluctuations are studied and found to be dominated by rare events; in particular all moments of truncated equal time correlations are computed. Physical properties which are typically measured in aging experiments are also studied, focusing on the response to a small magnetic field which is applied after waiting for the system to equilibrate for a time t(w). The nonequilibrium fluctuation-dissipation ratio X(t,t(w)) is computed. We find that for (t-t(w)) approximately t(alpha)(w) with alpha;<1, the ratio equal to its equilibrium value X=1, although time translational invariance does not hold in this regime. For t-t(w) approximately t(w) the ratio exhibits an aging regime with a nontrivial X=X(t/t(w)) not equal to 1, but the behavior is markedly different from mean field theory. Finally the distribution of the total magnetization and of the number of domains is computed for large finite size systems. General issues about convergence toward equilibrium and the possibilities of weakly history-dependent evolution in other random systems are discussed.
The random-field Ising model shows an extreme critical slowdown that has been described by activated dynamic scaling: The characteristic time of relaxation toward equilibrium diverges exponentially with the correlation length $ln\ensuremath{\tau}\ensuremath{\sim}{\ensuremath{\xi}}^{\ensuremath{\psi}}/T$, with $\ensuremath{\psi}$ an a priori unknown barrier exponent. Through a nonperturbative functional renormalization group, we show that for spatial dimensions ddd less than a critical value ${d}_{\text{DR}}\ensuremath{\simeq}5.1$, also associated with dimensional-reduction breakdown, $\ensuremath{\psi}=\ensuremath{\theta}$ with $\ensuremath{\theta}$ the temperature exponent near the zero-temperature fixed point that controls the critical behavior. For d>dDRd>{d}_{\text{DR}}d>dDR​, on the other hand, $\ensuremath{\psi}=\ensuremath{\theta}\ensuremath{-}2\ensuremath{\lambda}$, where $\ensuremath{\theta}=2$ and $\ensuremath{\lambda}>0$ an additional exponent. At the upper critical dimension $d=6,\ensuremath{\lambda}=1$, so that $\ensuremath{\psi}=0$, and activated scaling gives way to conventional scaling. We give a physical interpretation of the results in terms of collective events in real space, avalanches, and droplets. We also propose a way to check the two regimes by computer simulations of long-range one-dimensional systems.
A real-space renormalization-group treatment of random transverse-field Ising spin chains that was introduced previously is developed and extensively analyzed. It yields results that are asymptotically exact in the critical region near the zero-temperature para-to-ferromagnetic quantum phase transition. In particular, the exact scaling function is obtained for the magnetization as a function of a uniform applied magnetic field and the distance to the critical point, and up to the solution of a linear ordinary differential equation whose solution can be exhaustively analyzed, the scaling function of the average spin-spin correlation function is also obtained. Thus more exact information is obtainable about the critical behavior for this random model than is known for the pure version which is equivalent to the two-dimensional Ising model. The basic reason for this is the extremely broad distribution of energy scales that occurs at low energies near the critical point of the random system. For the random chain the distribution of the magnetization of the first spin in a semi-infinite system is also studied and the results found to agree in the scaling limit with results of McCoy obtained from the exact solution of the closely related McCoy-Wu Ising model; this provides strong justification for the validity of the present approach. The singular properties of the weakly ordered and weakly disordered ``Griffiths' phases'' that occur at zero temperature near the critical point are also studied, as well as the behavior at low but nonzero temperature. Possible extensions of the results and general lessons drawn from them for other random systems are briefly discussed.
Abstract We revisit the one-dimensional ferromagnetic Ising spin chain with a finite number of spins and periodic boundaries, deriving analytically and verifying numerically its various stationary and dynamical properties at different temperatures. In particular, we determine the probability distributions of magnetization, the number of domain walls, and the corresponding residence times for different chain lengths and magnetic fields. While we study finite systems at thermal equilibrium, we identify several temperatures similar to the critical temperatures for first-order phase transitions in the thermodynamic limit. We illustrate the utility of our results by their application to structural transitions in biopolymers having non-trivial intermediate equilibrium states.