Work

Low-temperature nucleation rate calculations using the N-Fold way

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: We present a numerical study to determine nucleation rates for magnetization reversal within the Ising model (lattice gas model) in the low-temperature regime, a domain less explored in previous research. To achieve this, we implemented the N-Fold way algorithm, a well-established method for low-temperature simulations, alongside a novel, highly efficient cluster identification algorithm. Our method can access nucleation rates up to 50 orders of magnitude lower than previously reported results. We examine three cases: homogeneous pure system, system with static impurities, and system with mobile impurities, where impurities are defined as sites with zero interactions with neighboring spins (the spin value of impurities is set to 0). Classical nucleation theory holds across the entire temperature range studied in the paper, for both the homogeneous system and the static impurity case. However, in the case of mobile impurities, the umbrella sampling technique appears ineffective at low mobility values. These findings provide valuable insights into nucleation phenomena at low temperatures, contributing to theoretical and experimental understanding.

Source: The Journal of Chemical Physics

DOI: 10.1063/5.0255066

Authors: Federico Ettori, Dipanjan Mandal, David Quigley

Institutions: Politecnico di Milano, University of L'Aquila, University of Warwick

Language: English

Topic: Theoretical and Computational Physics

Subfield: Condensed Matter Physics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,500

Funders: University of Warwick, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council