Escape from Metastability via Aging: Non-Equilibrium Dynamics in a One- Dimensional Ising Model

TL;DR

This paper studies a one-dimensional Ising model with three-spin interactions, revealing an exponentially large number of metastable states that cause system freezing and aging phenomena at low temperatures.

Contribution

It introduces a model with unique metastable configurations and analyzes the aging process due to thermal activation escaping from frozen states.

Findings

System exhibits exponentially many metastable states.

System freezes at low temperatures for a diverging time scale.

Aging occurs via domain growth after thermal activation.

Abstract

The non-equilibrium dynamics of a one-dimensional Ising model with uniform, short-ranged three-spin interactions is investigated. It is shown that this model possesses an exponentially large number of metastable configurations that are stable against single spin flips. This glass-like situation results in a complete freezing of the system at low temperatures for times smaller than an intrinsic time-scale, which diverges exponentially with inverse temperature. Via thermal activation the system eventually escapes from this frozen state, which is signals the onset of aging by domain growth.