Distribution of Equilibrium Free Energies in a Thermodynamic System with Broken Ergodicity

DOI10.1088/0253-6102/49/3/30zbMATH Open1392.82024arXiv0710.1365OpenAlexW3101478421MaRDI QIDQ4577348FDOQ4577348

Haijun Zhou, Kang Li

Publication date: 3 August 2018

Published in: Communications in Theoretical Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: At low temperatures the configurational phase space of a macroscopic complex system (e.g., a spin-glass) of $Nsim10^{23}$ interacting particles may split into an exponential number $Omeg{a}_{s}simexp(mconstimesN)$ of ergodic sub-spaces (thermodynamic states). Previous theoretical studies assumed that the equilibrium collective behavior of such a system is determined by its ground thermodynamic states of the minimal free-energy density, and that the equilibrium free energies follow the distribution of exponential decay. Here we show that these assumptions are not necessarily valid. For some complex systems, the equilibrium free-energy values may follow a Gaussian distribution within an intermediate temperature range, and consequently their equilibrium properties are contributed by {em excited} thermodynamic states. This work will help improving our understanding of the equilibrium statistical mechanics of spin-glasses and other complex systems.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/0710.1365

zbMATH Keywords

spin glassbroken ergodicitythermodynamic statecavity approachdistribution of free energy

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Statistical thermodynamics (82B30)

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