Phase Transition in Heisenberg Fully Frustrated Simple Cubic Lattice

TL;DR

This study uses Wang-Landau Monte Carlo simulations to demonstrate a first-order phase transition in a frustrated Heisenberg spin system on a simple cubic lattice, resolving a long-standing debate.

Contribution

It provides the first clear evidence of a first-order transition in this system, contradicting earlier claims of a second-order transition with unusual critical behavior.

Findings

Identifies a first-order phase transition in the system

Contradicts previous second-order transition studies

Resolves a 20-year long debate on the transition nature

Abstract

The phase transition in frustrated spin systems is a fascinated subject in statistical physics. We show the result obtained by the Wang-Landau flat histogram Monte Carlo simulation on the phase transition in the fully frustrated simple cubic lattice with the Heisenberg spin model. The degeneracy of the ground state of this system is infinite with two continuous parameters. We find a clear first-order transition in contradiction with previous studies which have shown a second-order transition with unusual critical properties. The robustness of our calculations allows us to conclude this issue putting an end to the 20-year long uncertainty.