Spin Glasses: Model systems for non-equilibrium dynamics

TL;DR

This paper reviews the non-equilibrium dynamics of 3D spin glasses, highlighting similarities and differences in their behavior, and compares these to other glassy magnetic systems.

Contribution

It provides a comparative review of the non-equilibrium dynamics in Ising and Heisenberg spin glasses, emphasizing differences in memory, rejuvenation, and critical dynamics.

Findings

Similar low-temperature phases in Ising and Heisenberg spin glasses

Differences in memory and rejuvenation phenomena

Influence of critical dynamics on non-equilibrium behavior

Abstract

Spin glasses are frustrated magnetic systems due to a random distribution of ferro- and antiferromagnetic interactions. An experimental three dimensional (3d) spin glass exhibits a second order phase transition to a low temperature spin glass phase regardless of the spin dimensionality. In addition, the low temperature phase of Ising and Heisenberg spin glasses exhibits similar non-equilibrium dynamics and an infinitely slow approach towards a thermodynamic equilibrium state. There are however significant differences in the detailed character of the dynamics as to memory and rejuvenation phenomena and the influence of critical dynamics on the behaviour. In this article, some aspects of the non-equilibrium dynamics of an Ising and a Heisenberg spin glass are briefly reviewed and some comparisons are made to other glassy systems that exhibit magnetic non-equilibrium dynamics.