A semiphenomenological cluster theory is developed for dynamic critical properties, which is not limited to small deviations from equilibrium. Explicit numerical expressions are derived for linear and nonlinear response functions of the kinetic Ising model, which are compatible with dynamic scaling and recent calculations of dynamic critical exponents. An uniaxial magnet (or Ising system) and its critical fluctuations are approximated by a "droplet" or "cluster" model, the critical part of the free energy being the sum of the contributions of clusters each containing
l spins. These clusters are assumed to grow and shrink with a phenomenological rate $\ensuremath{\propto}{l}^{r}$, $r\ensuremath{\approx}1$. These rates are compatible with direct Monte Carlo simulations in two and three dimensions. The resulting cluster reaction and diffusion equation is an approximation to the master equation of the Glauber kinetic Ising model (in which the magnetization is not conserved), and has the same structure as used in nucleation theories. In linear response to space- and time-dependent fields the relaxation times of energy and magnetization are expressed as triple integrals. All relaxation times diverge as ${|1\ensuremath{-}\frac{T}{{T}_{c}}|}^{\ensuremath{-}(2\ensuremath{-}r)\ensuremath{\beta}\ensuremath{\delta}}$. This treatment is consistent with dynamic scaling and universality, and is more general than the conventional (Van Hove) theory of critical slowing down. Also the (smaller) exponents found for the response to localized variations ("autocorrelation functions") agree with dynamic scaling. The wave-vector dependence of the relaxation times arises from the static correlation function only, and not from the cluster diffusion term. If the equilibrium cluster distribution is assumed to be that of the Fisher droplet model, and for special values of
r, the (discrete) eigenvalue spectrum and eigenfunctions (generalized Laguerre polynomials) of the cluster reaction equation are found explicitly. Relaxation functions and frequency-dependent susceptibilities are expressed by hypergeometric series, even in the case of nonlinear response. At the critical point, the spectrum becomes continuous and the exponential decay for large times is replaced by power-law behavior. Similarly, it is found that dynamic scaling applies also to the nucleation rate for this model, and the scaling exponent of the nucleation rate is $2\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\alpha}+(2\ensuremath{-}r)\ensuremath{\beta}\ensuremath{\delta}$.
Nonuniversal dynamic critical exponents are obtained for both the Glauber and Kawasaki dynamics of the Ising chain with alternating near-neighbor interactions,
J1,
J2, with the exponents related to the ratio of the two interaction strengths. We expand upon the recent work of Droz et al. [Phys. Lett. 115A, 448 (1986)] for the ferromagnetic system (
J1>0,
J2>0). For Glauber (spin-flip) dynamics we obtain the exact exponent z=1+\ensuremath{\rho} (\ensuremath{\rho}\ensuremath{\equiv}\ensuremath{\Vert}
J1/
J2\ensuremath{\Vert}) which generalizes the result of Droz et al. and is valid irrespective of the signs of
J1 and
J2, where it is assumed that \ensuremath{\Vert}
J1\ensuremath{\Vert}>\ensuremath{\Vert}
J2\ensuremath{\Vert} (\ensuremath{\rho}\ensuremath{\ge}1). For Kawasaki (spin-exchange) dynamics, we obtain dynamic critical exponents from conventional theory which provides a rigorous lower bound for the exponent z. For the case of the conserved (ferromagnetic) order parameter, however, we present arguments that the conventional exponent is exact. We obtain z=4+\ensuremath{\rho} in this case. For
J1>0,${J}_{2}$0 we derive the conventional exponent z=1+\ensuremath{\rho}, whereas for ${J}_{1}$0 we find z=2 irrespective of
J2. A key aspect of this system is the narrowing of the dynamic critical region as compared with the isotropic system (
J1=
J2). The extra bond periodicity splits the isotropic order parameter into components such that only comparatively closer to criticality does the order parameter become the dominant slow mode. The nonuniversal critical dynamics is intrinsically linked to the nonuniform bond distribution, being shown to arise from a kinetic coefficient which vanishes with a nonuniversal critical exponent. Nonuniversality of the dynamic exponent for Ising systems with inhomogeneous couplings is argued to be specific to zero-temperature critical points.
A restricted dynamics, previously introduced in a kinetic model for relaxation phenomena in linear polymer chains, is used to study the dynamic critical exponent of one-dimensional Ising models. Both an alternating isotopic chain and an alternating-bond chain are considered. In contrast with what occurs for Glauber dynamics, in these two models the dynamic critical exponent turns out to be the same. The alternating isotopic chain with the restricted dynamics is shown to lead to Nagel scaling for temperatures above some critical value. Further support is given relating the Nagel scaling to the existence of multiple (simultaneous) relaxation processes, the dynamics apparently not playing the most important role in determining such scaling.
The author reports some universal and non-universal aspects of the critical dynamics of the three-dimensional Ising model, obtained in extensive Monte Carlo finite-size simulations. The author shows that the time-dependence of the magnetization of finite lattices is composed of two kinds of fluctuations at the critical point: (i) phase fluctuations from one metastable minimum of the free energy to the other, dominating the long-time behaviour of the magnetization; (ii) critical fluctuations inside each minimum, decaying on a comparatively short timescale. Both kinds of fluctuations show up the same critical exponent z=2.10+or-0.02, which is also in excellent agreement with the exponent z of energy fluctuations.