Metastability for the Ising model on the hexagonal lattice (Q2119691)

Consider the Ising model on (a subset of) the hexagonal lattice in \(\mathbb{R}^2\) with a small external magnetic field, whose Markovian evolution is given by Metropolis dynamics. In the low temperature limit, the authors study the transition from a metastable to stable state, and in particular the asymptotic expectation of the time for this transition (up to a multiplicative factor) and its distribution. Estimates of the mixing time and spectral gap of the Markov chain are also established. In studying the size and shape of configurations of the model which trigger the transition from metastability to stability, polyiamonds (collections of faces of the triangular lattice in \(\mathbb{R}^2\)) are important. The authors prove results about polyiamonds, and in particular quasi-hexagonal polyiamonds, that are both relevant to the Ising model and are likely to be of wider interest.