Non-equilibrium dynamics in 3d spin glasses

Abstract

The random spin structure of a quenched spin glass experiences a continuous re-structuring in the low-temperature spin glass phase; the spin glass ages. Some recent experimental studies of relaxation and temperature dependence of the low-frequency AC-susceptibility and DC-magnetisation have given essential new information on which are the governing physical parameters for the spontaneous re-construction of the spin configuration. These results are briefly reviewed and put into the context of a phenomenological real space picture of the spin glass phase. This picture includes: domains of spin glass ordered regions that use spontaneous droplet excitations as the only mechanism for their growth at constant temperature, chaos with temperature and overlap on short length scales between the equilibrium states at two different temperatures.