Work distributions in the T=0 random field Ising model

Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys. 2009 Feb;79(2 Pt 1):021123. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.79.021123. Epub 2009 Feb 19.

Abstract

We perform a numerical study of the three-dimensional random-field Ising model at T=0. We compare work distributions along metastable trajectories obtained with the single-spin flip dynamics with the distribution of the internal energy change along equilibrium trajectories. The goal is to investigate the possibility of extending the Crooks fluctuation theorem [G. E. Crooks, Phys. Rev. E. 60, 2721 (1999)] to zero temperature when, instead of the standard ensemble statistics, one considers the ensemble generated by the quenched disorder. We show that a simple extension of Crooks fails close to the disordered induced equilibrium phase transition due to the fact that work and internal energy distributions are very asymmetric.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't