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Annual Conference on Magnetism and Magnetic Materials (MMM)

Monte Carlo Studies of Magnetic Systems

D. P. Landau

Published Jan 1, 1974• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

The Monte Carlo method provides accurate values for the thermal and magnetic properties of magnetic systems of localized moments. The basic ‘importance sampling’ technique is described and a critique of the method is presented. The relative accuracy of the method is demonstrated by direct comparison with both exact results for the Ising square lattice and with other approximate theories. The wide applicability of the Monte Carlo approach is shown through the presentation of results of general thermodynamic properties as well as both critical and tricritical phenomena in systems with diverse Hamiltonians. In addition, the method has been applied to systems which do not undergo cooperative transitions and to some complex models of several real magnetic systems. Recent work involving investigations of the dynamic behavior of the Ising model is also discussed.

DOI
10.1063/1.3141830

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Phase transitions in magnetic systems are studied using a Monte Carlo computer simulation method. The fundamentals of the technique are described and the strengths and limitations of this approach are discussed. Comparisons are made between the Monte Carlo data and exact results for the Ising square lattice. The properties of several different types of anisotropic systems are determined with particular care taken near the critical temperature Tc Competing interactions between neighboring sites has the effect of shifting Tc and may, in some cases, even change the nature of the ordered magnetic state. Critical field boundaries are traced out for several antiferromagnets and we show how competing interactions may give rise to tricritical points. We also present data on systems with impurities and examine the effects of free surfaces on the phase transition. Lastly we show how the transformation from the 2-dim Ising model to its lattice-gas model equivalent allows us to study adsorbed gas monolayers.
Recent developments in the use of histograms (measured discrete probability distributions) now make it possible to determine critical properties with high accuracy using Monte Carlo (MC) simulations combined with finite-size scaling analyses. The advantages and limitations of the use of histograms for extracting the maximum information from MC simulation data are described. Results from extensive MC studies of the critical properties of two important magnetic systems, the d=3 ferromagnetic Ising and Heisenberg models, are presented. It is shown that the careful use of histogram techniques can provide results comparable or superior to these obtained with other numerical methods while maintaining all the advantages of standard MC techniques.
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The current state of Monte Carlo work on phase transitions and critical phenomena is reviewed. Both classical and quantum Monte Carlo results are discussed with emphasis on statistical lattice-model studies involving the highly accurate calculation of critical exponents. It is shown that finite-size scaling is an effective method whereby not only simple lattice models but also those of complex practical magnetic materials can be treated. For models allowing crossover phenomena, it is shown that both finite-size scaling theory and conventional power-law functions must be used in carrying out a Monte Carlo analysis.