Nonuniversal behavior for aperiodic interactions within a mean-field approximation

Critical properties of a two-dimensional Ising magnet with quasiperiodic interactions

We address the study of quasiperiodic interactions on a square lattice by using an Ising model with ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic exchange interactions following a quasiperiodic Fibonacci sequence in both directions of a square lattice. We applied the Monte Carlo method, together with the Metropolis algorithm, to calculate the thermodynamic quantities of the system. We obtained the Edwards-Anderson order parameter q_{EA}, the magnetic susceptibility χ, and the specific heat c in order to characterize the universality class of the phase transition. We also use the finite size scaling method to obtain the critical temperature of the system and the critical exponents β,γ, and ν. In the low-temperature limit we obtained a spin-glass phase with critical temperature around T_{c}≈2.274, and the critical exponents β,γ, and ν, indicating that the quasiperiodic order induces a change in the universality class of the system. Also, we discovered a spin-glass ordering in a two-dimensional system which is rare and, as far as we know, the unique example is an under-frustrated Ising model.

Mean-field calculation of critical parameters and log-periodic characterization of an aperiodic-modulated model

We employ a mean-field approximation to study the Ising model with aperiodic modulation of its interactions in one spatial direction. Two different values for the exchange constant, J(A) and J(B), are present, according to the Fibonacci sequence. We calculate the pseudocritical temperatures for finite systems and extrapolate them to the thermodynamic limit. We explicitly obtain the exponents β, δ, and γ and, from the usual scaling relations for anisotropic models at the upper critical dimension (assumed to be 4 for the model we treat), we calculate α, ν, ν(∥), η, and η(∥). Within the framework of a renormalization-group approach, the Fibonacci sequence is a marginal one and we obtain exponents that depend on the ratio r≡J(B)/J(A), as expected; however, the scaling relation γ=β(δ-1) is obeyed for all values of r we studied. We characterize some thermodynamic functions as log-periodic functions of their arguments, as expected for aperiodic-modulated models, and obtain precise values for the exponents from this characterization.

Influence of aperiodic modulations on first-order transitions: numerical study of the two-dimensional Potts model

We study the Potts model on a rectangular lattice with aperiodic modulations in its interactions along one direction. Numerical results are obtained using the Wolff algorithm and for many lattice sizes, allowing for a finite-size scaling analyses to be carried out. Three different self-dual aperiodic sequences are employed, which leads to more precise results, since the exact critical temperature is known. We analyze two models, with 6 and 15 number of states: both present first-order transitions on their uniform versions. We show that the Harris-Luck criterion, originally introduced in the study of continuous transitions, is obeyed also for first-order ones. Also, we show that the new universality class that emerges for relevant aperiodic modulations depends on the number of states of the Potts model, as obtained elsewhere for random disorder, and on the aperiodic sequence. We determine the occurrence of log-periodic behavior, as expected for models with aperiodic modulated interactions.

Aperiodic Ising model on the Bethe lattice: exact results

We consider the Ising model on the Bethe lattice with aperiodic modulation of the couplings, which has been studied numerically in Phys. Rev. E 77, 041113 (2008). Here we present a relevance-irrelevance criterion and solve the critical behavior exactly for marginal aperiodic sequences. We present analytical formulas for the continuously varying critical exponents and discuss a relationship with the (surface) critical behavior of the aperiodic quantum Ising chain.