Pierre Emmanuel Berche

Softening of first-order transition in three-dimensions by quenched disorder.

We study by extensive Monte Carlo simulations the effect of random bond dilution on the phase transition of the three-dimensional 4-state Potts model which is known to exhibit a strong first-order transition in the pure case. The phase diagram in the dilution-temperature plane is determined from the peaks of the susceptibility for sufficiently large system sizes. In the strongly disordered regime, numerical evidence for softening to a second-order transition induced by randomness is given. Here a large-scale finite-size scaling analysis, made difficult due to strong crossover effects presumably caused by the percolation fixed point, is performed.

Aperiodicity-Induced Second-Order Phase Transition in the 8-State Potts Model

We investigate the critical behavior of the two-dimensional 8-state Potts model with an aperiodic distribution of the exchange interactions between nearest-neighbor rows. The model is studied numerically through intensive Monte Carlo simulations using the Swendsen-Wang cluster algorithm. The transition point is located through duality relations, and the critical behavior is investigated using FSS techniques at criticality. For strong enough fluctuations of the aperiodic sequence under consideration, a second order phase transition is found. The exponents �/� and /� are obtained at the new fixed point. The study of the influence of bond randomness on phase transitions is a quite active field of research, motivated by the importance of disorder in real experiments [1]. According to the Harris criterion [2], quenched randomness is a relevant perturbation at a second order

Monte Carlo investigation of the magnetic anisotropy in Fe/Dy multilayers

By Monte Carlo simulations in the canonical ensemble, we have studied the magnetic anisotropy in Fe/Dy amorphous multilayers. This work has been motivated by experimental results which show a clear correlation between the magnetic perpendicular anisotropy and the substrate temperature during elaboration of the samples. Our aim is to relate macroscopic magnetic properties of the multilayers to their structure, more precisely their concentration profile. Our model is based on concentration dependent exchange interactions and spin values, on random magnetic anisotropy and on the existence of locally ordered clusters that leads to a perpendicular magnetisation. Our results evidence that a compensation point occurs in the case of an abrupt concentration profile. Moreover, an increase of the non-collinearity of the atomic moments has been evidenced when the Dy anisotropy constant value grows. We have also shown the existence of inhomogeneous magnetisation profiles along the samples which are related to the concentration profiles.

Magnetization reversal in amorphous Fe/Dy multilayers: A Monte Carlo study

The Monte Carlo method in the canonical ensemble is used to investigate magnetization reversal in multilayers of amorphous transition metal and rare earth elements. Our study is based on a model containing diluted clusters which exhibit an effective uniaxial anisotropy in competition with random magnetic anisotropy in the matrix. We simulate hysteresis loops for an abrupt profile and a diffuse one obtained from atom probe tomography analyses. Our results give evidence that the atom probe tomography profile favors perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in agreement with magnetic measurements. Moreover, the hysteresis loops calculated at several temperatures qualitatively agree with the experimental ones.

Second-order phase transition induced by deterministic fluctuations in aperiodic eight-state Potts models

Abstract:We investigate the influence of aperiodic modulations of the exchange interactions between nearest-neighbour rows on the phase transition of the two-dimensional eight-state Potts model. The systems are studied numerically through intensive Monte-Carlo simulations using the Swendsen-Wang cluster algorithm for different aperiodic sequences. The transition point is located through duality relations, and the critical behaviour is investigated using FSS techniques at criticality. While the pure system exhibits a first-order transition, we show that the deterministic fluctuations resulting from the aperiodic coupling distribution are liable to modify drastically the physical properties in the neighbourhood of the transition point. For strong enough fluctuations of the sequence under consideration, a second-order phase transition is induced. The exponents , and are obtained at the new fixed point and crossover effects are discussed. Surface properties are also studied.

The McCoy-Wu Model in the Mean-field Approximation

We consider a system with randomly layered ferromagnetic bonds (McCoy-Wu model) and study its critical properties in the frame of mean-field theory. In the low-temperature phase there is an average spontaneous magnetization in the system, which vanishes as a power law at the critical point with the critical exponents and in the bulk and at the surface of the system, respectively. The singularity of the specific heat is characterized by an exponent . The samples reduced critical temperature has a power law distribution and we show that the difference between the values of the critical exponents in the pure and in the random system is just . Above the critical temperature the thermodynamic quantities behave analytically, thus the system does not exhibit Griffiths singularities.

CROSSOVER BETWEEN APERIODIC AND HOMOGENEOUS SURFACE CRITICAL BEHAVIORS IN MULTILAYERED TWO-DIMENSIONAL ISING MODELS

We investigate the surface critical behavior of two-dimensional multilayered aperiodic Ising models in the extreme anisotropic limit. The system under consideration is obtained by piling up two types of layers with respectively

Anisotropic scaling in layered aperiodic Ising systems

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APERIODIC SPIN CHAIN IN THE MEAN FIELD APPROXIMATION

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Monte Carlo Studies of Three-Dimensional Bond-Diluted Ferromagnets

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