First-order phase transitions: A study through the parallel tempering method

TL;DR

This paper evaluates the parallel tempering method's effectiveness in studying first-order phase transitions, demonstrating its potential for accurately characterizing discontinuous transitions in the Blume-Emery-Griffiths model.

Contribution

It introduces the application of the parallel tempering method to first-order phase transitions, providing a new approach for analyzing discontinuous transitions.

Findings

Parallel tempering accurately estimates coexistence lines.

PT successfully characterizes first-order transitions in the BEG model.

The method shows promise for studying other discontinuous transitions.

Abstract

We study the applicability of the {\it parallel tempering method} (PT) in the investigation of first- order phase transitions. In this method, replicas of the same system are simulated simultaneously at different temperatures and the configurations of two randomly chosen replicas can occasionally be interchanged. We apply the PT for the Blume-Emery-Griffiths (BEG) model, which displays strong first-order transitions at low temperatures. A precise estimate of coexistence lines is obtained, revealing that the PT may be a successful tool for the characterization of discontinuous transitions.