Monte Carlo studies of finite-size effects at first-order transitions
| Autor: | Kurt Binder, David P. Landau, M. S. S. Challa |
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| Rok vydání: | 1990 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | Phase Transitions. :343-369 |
| ISSN: | 1029-0338 0141-1594 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/01411599008210236 |
| Popis: | First-order phase transitions are ubiquitous in nature but their presence is often uncertain because of the effects which finite size has on all transitions. In this article we consider a general treatment of size effects on lattice systems with discrete degrees of freedom and which undergo a first-order transition in the thermodynamic limit. We review recent work involving studies of the distribution functions of the magnetization and energy at a first-order transition in a finite sample of size N connected to a bath of size N′. Two cases: N′ = ∞ and N′ = finite are considered. In the former (canonical ensemble) case, the distributions are approximated by a superposition of Gaussians corresponding to the different phases; all finite-size effects then vary as N or 1/N. The latter case involves the Gaussian ensemble where the entropy of the bath has a convenient form; for small N′, first-order transitions are characterized by van der Waals' loops in (for example) the energy vs. temperature curves.... |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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