Switching from a continuous to discontinuous phase transition under the quenched disorder

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that replacing time-varying disorder with static disorder in a social model can induce a shift from continuous to discontinuous phase transitions, challenging previous assumptions about disorder effects.

Contribution

It provides the first evidence that quenched disorder can cause discontinuous phase transitions in complex social systems, supported by analytical and simulation results.

Findings

Quenched disorder can induce discontinuous phase transitions.

The study uses a multistate q-voter model with competing interactions.

Analytical and Monte Carlo methods confirm the transition change.

Abstract

Discontinuous phase transitions occurs to be particularly interesting from a social point of view because of their relationship to social hysteresis and critical mass. In this paper, we show that the replacement of a time-varying (annealed, situation-based) disorder by a static (quenched, personality-based) one can lead to a change from a continuous to a discontinuous phase transition. This is a result beyond the state of art, because so far numerous studies on various complex systems (physical, biological and social) have indicated that the quenched disorder can round or destroy the existence of a discontinuous phase transition. To show the possibility of the opposite behavior, we study a multistate $q$-voter model, with two types of disorder related to random competing interactions (conformity and anticonformity). We confirm, both analytically and through Monte Carlo simulations, that indeed discontinuous phase transitions can be induced by a static disorder.