q-Gaussian Crossover in Overlap Spectra towards 3D Edwards-Anderson Criticality

TL;DR

This paper introduces a spectral approach to analyze the 3D Edwards-Anderson spin glass, revealing a temperature-dependent crossover in eigenvalue distributions that signals criticality and is described by Tsallis statistics.

Contribution

The study demonstrates that spectral density transitions from Wigner semicircle to Gaussian near criticality, with Tsallis statistics characterizing this crossover, offering a new spectral indicator of phase transitions.

Findings

Eigenvalue spectra show a crossover from semicircle to Gaussian distribution near critical temperature.

Tsallis entropic index q evolves from -1 to 1 as temperature approaches criticality.

Global spectral density captures temperature dependence, while local level statistics remain GOE-like.

Abstract

We introduce a spectral approach to characterizing the three-dimensional Edwards-Anderson spin glass. By analyzing the eigenvalue statistics of overlap matrices constructed from two-dimensional cross-sections, we identify a crossover from the Wigner semicircle law at high temperatures towards a Gaussian distribution, which is consistently attained near the spin-glass critical point. Visible for different distributions of the random coupling, the Gaussian distribution can potentially serve as a robust spectral indicator of criticality. Remarkably, the spectral density is well-described by Tsallis statistics, with the entropic index $q$ evolving from $q = -1$ (semicircle, $T=\infty$) to $q = 1$ (Gaussian) at $T_c$, revealing a statistical structure inside the paramagnetic phase. We find $q\le 1$ within numerical precision. While the local level statistics remain consistent with GOE statistics, reflecting standard level repulsion, the temperature dependence appears mainly in the global spectral density. Our results present spectral statistics as a computationally efficient complement to multi-replica correlator methods and provide a new perspective on cooperative and critical phenomena in disordered systems.