Phase diagram of glassy systems in an external field

TL;DR

This paper explores the mean-field phase diagram of glassy systems under an external field, revealing a first-order transition line ending in a critical point, with potential for experimental observation.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of the phase behavior of glassy systems in an external field, highlighting the coexistence and critical phenomena.

Findings

Existence of a first-order transition line between magnetized and disordered phases

Presence of a critical point terminating the coexistence line

Potential observability of the critical point in simulations

Abstract

We study the mean-field phase diagram of glassy systems in a field pointing in the direction of a metastable state. We find competition among a ``magnetized'' and a ``disordered'' phase, that are separated by a coexistence line as in ordinary first order phase transitions. The coexistence line terminates in a critical point, which in principle can be observed in numerical simulations of glassy models.