Space Dependent Mean Field Approximation Modelling

• Published in: Journal of statistical physics Vol. 154; no. 6; pp. 1508 - 1515
• Main Authors: Dudek, M. R., Grima, J. N., Cauchi, R., Zerafa, C., Gatt, R., Zapotoczny, B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01.03.2014; Springer
• Subjects: Analysis; Magnetization; Mathematical and Computational Physics; Monte Carlo method; Physical Chemistry; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Quantum Physics; Statistical Physics and Dynamical Systems; Theoretical; Monte Carlo method; Mean field approximation; Magnetic domains; Coarsening
• ISSN: 0022-4715; 1572-9613
• DOI: 10.1007/s10955-014-0944-8

It is shown that the self-consistency condition which is the basic equation for calculating the mean-field order parameter of any mean-field model Hamiltonian can be replaced by the standard Metropolis Monte Carlo scheme. The advantage of this method is its ease of implementation for both the homogeneous mean-field order parameter and the heterogeneous one. To be specific, the mean-field version of the Ising model spin system is discussed in detail and the resulting magnetization is the same as in the case of solving the respective mean-field self-consistency equation. In addition, it is shown that if a high temperature phase of such system is quenched below critical temperature then the mean field experienced by spins develops into a network of domains in analogous way as it happens with the spins in the case of the exact many-body Hamiltonian system and the coarsening processes start to take place. To show that the introduced Metropolis Monte Carlo method works also in case of the continuous variables the order parameter for the Maier-Saupe model for nematic liquid crystals has been calculated.