Universality of the glassy transitions in the two-dimensional±JIsing model

Abstract

We investigate the zero-temperature glassy transitions in the square-lattice ±J Ising model, with bond distribution P(J{xy})=pδ(J{xy}-J)+(1-p)δ(J{xy}+J) ; p=1 and p=1/2 correspond to the pure Ising model and to the Ising spin glass with symmetric bimodal distribution, respectively. We present finite-temperature Monte Carlo simulations at p=4/5 , which is close to the low-temperature paramagnetic-ferromagnetic transition line located at p≈0.89 , and at p=1/2 . Their comparison provides a strong evidence that the glassy critical behavior that occurs for 1-p{0}<p<p{0} , p{0}≈0.897 , is universal, i.e., independent of p . Moreover, we show that glassy and magnetic modes are not coupled at the multicritical zero-temperature point where the paramagnetic-ferromagnetic transition line and the T=0 glassy transition line meet. On the theoretical side we discuss the validity of finite-size scaling in glassy systems with a zero-temperature transition and a discrete Hamiltonian spectrum. Because of a freezing phenomenon which occurs in a finite volume at sufficiently low temperatures, the standard finite-size scaling limit in terms of TL(1/ν) does not exist; the renormalization-group invariant quantity ξ/L should be used instead as basic variable.