Competitive dynamics in a three-dimensional Ising model

Abstract

We consider a three-dimensional ferromagnetic Ising model on a cubic lattice in contact with a heat bath at temperature T. The states of the system evolve in time according to two stochastic processes: the one-spin-flip Glauber dynamics where the order parameter is not conserved, and the two-spin-exchange Kawasaki kinetics, which conserves the order parameter. The former process mimics an input of energy into the system. Monte Carlo simulations were employed to determine the phase diagram for the stationary states of the model, and the corresponding critical exponents. Similarly to the observed for the related two-dimensional ferromagnetic Ising model, the phase diagram obtained exhibits the phenomenon of self-organization. Although the stationary states are mainly ferromagnetic at low temperatures, an antiferromagnetic phase appears for extremely high values of the flux of energy. Unlike the ferromagnetic case, the region of the phase diagram occupied by the antiferromagnetic phase is now larger. The determined critical exponents for this nonequilibrium model are in agreement with the well-known accepted values for the three-dimensional equilibrium Ising model.