Selected Recent Presentations

Per Arne Rikvold
prikvold@fsu.edu




Structure and Fluctuations in Eco-systems Generated by Models of Co-evolution of Species


Invited talk at
Eco Summit 2007
Beijing, China, May 22-26, 2007.
Abstract
I report results on eco-systems generated by individual-based models of biological co-evolution of species. Emphasis will be on the fluctuations in community structure, diversity, and population levels occurring during the evolution process. The evolution process is studied by kinetic Monte Carlo computer simulations over very long time periods - up to several tens of millions of generations. The multispecies evolution models studied contain both autotrophs that are able to directly utilize an external resource, and heterotrophs that must rely on consumption of one or more autotrophs or other heterotrophs for support. The interspecies interactions are based on a Holling Type II functional response for predators (considering the autotrophs as predators with respect to the external resource), modified by intra- and interspecies competition. Time series of diversities and population sizes over very long simulations of tens of millions of generations display highly correlated fluctuations that give rise to power spectra of 1/f form, also known as flicker noise. These model-intrinsic dynamic features correspond to large, correlated extinction events and similarly correlated bursts of new species, without the need for external catastrophic events. A future goal of the research is to study how the dynamics of extinctions and species-emergence in these models are influenced by specific external stresses, such as fluctuations in the external resource level. In the absence of adaptive foraging strategies, the studied models are quite unstable, switching randomly between highly diverse and quite species-poor communities. On the other hand, adaptive foraging is shown to significantly stabilize the resulting communities, leading to stable, high-diversity eco-systems. The long-time 1/f noises are relatively unaffected by this effect.


Complex Behavior in Simple Models of Biological Coevolution


Invited talk at
U.S.-Japan Bilateral Seminar Simulations of Complex Behavior from Simple Models
Lahaina, HI, July 17-20, 2006.
Abstract
We explore the complex dynamical behavior of simple predator-prey models of biological coevolution that account in a reasonably realistic way for interspecific and intraspecific competition for resources, as well as adaptive foraging behavior. In long kinetic Monte Carlo simulations of these models we find quite robust 1/f-like noise in species diversity and population sizes, as well as power-law distributions for the lifetimes of individual species and the durations of quiet periods of evolutionary stasis.


Fluctuations in Models of Biological Macroevolution


Invited talk at
SPIE (The International Society for Optical Engineering) International Symposium on Fluctuations and Noise
Noise in Complex Systems and Stochastic Dynamics III
Austin, TX, May 24-26, 2005
Abstract
Fluctuations in diversity and extinction sizes are discussed and compared for two different, individual-based models of biological coevolution. Both models display power-law distributions for various quantities of evolutionary interest, such as the lifetimes of individual species, the quiet periods between evolutionary upheavals larger than a given cutoff, and the sizes of extinction events. Time series of the diversity and measures of the size of extinctions give rise to flicker noise. Surprisingly, the power-law behaviors of the probability densities of quiet periods in the two models differ, while the distributions of the lifetimes of individual species are the same.

See: P. A. Rikvold, arXiv:q-bio:PE/0502046.


Dynamic Phase Transition, Enhanced Reaction Rate, and Decay of Metastable States in a Model of CO Oxidation with CO Desorption


Invited talk at
the 207th Meeting of the Electrochemical Society
Quebec City, Canada, May 16-20, 2005
Abstract
The Ziff-Gulari-Barshad (ZGB) model of CO oxidation on a catalytic surface corresponds to a Langmuir-Hinshelwood process. For high CO pressure the model produces a CO poisoned state in agreement with experiments. If CO desorption is not allowed (corresponding to low temperature in experiments), the poisoning is irreversible. However, with a low rate of desorption (corresponding to higher temperatures), the surface can be decontaminated by reducing the CO pressure. The poisoning of the catalytic surface corresponds to a discontinuous, nonequilibrium phase transition. In the work reported here, we use the analogy to the dynamics of phase transformations near equilibrium phase transitions to analyze the time evolution of the poisoning and decontamination processes. We find that the time evolution is well described by a modified form of the classic Kolmogorov-Johnson-Mehl-Avrami (KJMA) theory of phase transformations. We map out the transition value of the CO pressure as a function of the desorption rate, and we show that the dynamics of the poisoning and decontamination processes differ, depending on whether the pressure is close to or far away from the transition line. Far from the transition line, the processes are near deterministic and well described by the classic KJMA theory, while close to the transition the time until full poisoning or decontamination is random and follows an exponential distribution. The pressure range in which this stochastic behavior is observed shrinks to zero logarithmically in the size of the catalytic surface. By periodically varying the CO pressure about its transition value, we show that the system can can be made to undergo a Dynamic Phase Transition (DPT) at a critical value of the period of the pressure variation. Such DPTs have been observed in magnetic systems subject to an oscillating field, but to our knowledge it is the first time one is predicted in a far-from-equilibrium catalytic system. At the DPT, the CO2 production rate is significantly enhanced, compared to its maximum value under constant CO pressure. This enhancement may have practical applications.

See: E. Machado, G. M. Buendía, P. A. Rikvold, and R. M. Ziff, arXiv:cond-mat/0506271.


Kinetic Monte Carlo Study of the Effect of Lateral Diffusion on Adlayer Structure during Electrodeposition.


Invited talk at
The 2004 Joint International Meeting of The Electrochemical Society and The Electrochemical Society of Japan
Honolulu, HI, October 3-8, 2004.
Abstract
We use kinetic Monte Carlo simulations to study the effect of the ratio between the rate of adsorption/desorption and the rate of lateral adsorbate diffusion on the structure of submonolayers formed during electrodeposition. In particular we study the time evolution of the island size distribution during potential-step and potential-pulse conditions, in which the electrode potential is brought eiter permanently or only for a short time beyond the threshold for submonolayer adsorption. In the former case, the adlayer grows monotonically toward saturation, while in the latter, the potential is reversed at a partial coverage, after which the adlayer desorbs. Below the critical island size, beyond which islands are more likely to grow than to decay, the size distribution is relatively independent of the lateral diffusion rate and well described by a metastable distribution of lattice animals. For high coverages, the size distribution of large islands is dominated by coalescence. An striking effect of rapid diffusion is to open a ``gap'' in the island-size distribution, so that the adlayer consists mainly of very large and very small islands. We also note significant differences between the structures of growing and desorbing adlayers at the same coverage.

See: S. Frank, D. E. Roberts, and P. A. Rikvold, arXiv:cond-mat/0409518.


Dependence of interface mobility and nucleation rates on the detailed transition probabilities in kinetic Monte Carlo simulations.


Invited talk at
U.S. National Science Foundation / European Commission Workshop: Methods in Computational Materials Science
San Francisco, CA, April 15-16, 2004.
Abstract
Kinetic Monte Carlo simulation is a useful tool to study the dynamics of physical and chemical systems on mesoscopic and macroscopic time scales much longer than the picosecond scales accessible with molecular dynamics. However, the Monte Carlo transition rates are not, in general, known from first principles. Often it is therefore assumed that 'minor' differences between dynamics are not very important, as long as they obey detailed balance and thus eventually bring the system to thermodynamic equilibrium. In this talk I will show that this view is too simplistic, and that very significant differences are found in the structure and mobility of driven interfaces [1], as well as in nucleation rates at low temperatures [2], between kinetic Ising systems evolving under different stochastic dynamics. In particular, I will discuss the differences between "hard" dynamics (such as the standard Glauber and Metropolis rates), in which the effects of the interactions and the applied field do not factorize in the transition rate, and "soft" dynamics that possess such a factorization property. In additin to the hard and soft Glauber cases, I will also consider rates that contain local energy barriers between the individual system states [3], including the one-step-dynamic [4] and the transition-dynamics-approximation [5]. The moral of my story is that great care must be shown in devising stochastic Monte Carlo dynamics for specific systems if the time-dependent results are going to be physically meaningful.

1. P.A. Rikvold and M. Kolesik, J. Stat. Phys. 100, 377 (2000); J. Phys. A 35, L117 (2002); Phys. Rev. E 66, 066116 (2002); Phys. Rev. E 67, 066113 (2003).
2. K. Park, P.A. Rikvold, G.M. Buendia, and M.A. Novotny, Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 015701 (2004).
3. G.M. Buendia, P.A. Rikvold, K. Park, and M.A. Novotny, submitted to J. Chem. Phys, cond-mat/0402537.
4. H.C. Kang and W.H. Weinberg, J. Chem. Phys. 90, 2824 (1989).
5. T. Ala-Nissila, J. Kjoll, and S.C. Ying, Phys. Rev. B 46, 846 (1992).




Punctuated Equilibria and 1/f Noise in a Biological Coevolution Model with Individual-based Dynamics


Invited talk at
Centre Europeen de Calcul Atomique et Moleculaire (CECAM) Workshop Dynamics of Evolution
Ecole Normale Superieure de Lyon, Lyon, France, July 28-30, 2003.
Abstract
We present a study by linear stability analysis and large-scale Monte Carlo simulations of a simple model of biological coevolution. Selection is provided through a reproduction probability that contains quenched, random interspecies interactions, while genetic variation is provided through a low mutation rate. Both selection and mutation act on individual organisms. Consistent with some current theories of macroevolutionary dynamics, the model displays intermittent, statistically self-similar behavior with punctuated equilibria. The probability density for the lifetimes of ecological communities is well approximated by a power law with exponent near -2, and the corresponding power spectral densities show 1/f noise (flicker noise) over several decades. The long-lived communities (quasi-steady states) consist of a relatively small number of mutualistically interacting species, and they are surrounded by a ``protection zone'' of closely related genotypes that have a very low probability of invading the resident community. The extent of the protection zone affects the stability of the community in a way analogous to the height of the free-energy barrier surrounding ametastable state in a physical system. Measures of biological diversity are on average stationary with no discernible trends, even over our very long simulation runs of approximately 3.4x1E7 generations.

See: P. A. Rikvold and R. K. P. Zia, arXiv:nlin.AO/0303010 and arXiv:nlin.AO/0306023.


Halide Adosrption on Single-crystal Silver Substrates: Dynamic Simulations and Ab-initio Density Functional Theory


Invited talk at
Faraday Discussion 121: The Dynamic Electrode Surface
Fritz-Haber-Institut, Berlin, Germany, April 15-17, 2002
Abstract
We investigate the static and dynamic behaviors of a Br adlayer i electrochemically deposited onto single-crystal Ag(100) using an off-lattice model of the adlayer. Unlike previous studies using a lattice-gas model, the off-lattice model allows adparticles to be located at any position within a two-dimensional approximation to the substrate. Interactions with the substrate are approximated by a corrugation potential. Using Density Functional Theory (DFT) to calculate surface binding energies, a sinusoidal approximation to the corrugation potential is constructed. A variety of techniques, including Monte Carlo and Langevin simulations, are used to study the behavior of the adlayer. The lateral root-mean-square (rms) deviation of the adparticles from the binding sites is presented along with equilibrium coverage isotherms, and the thermally activated Arrhenius barrier-hopping model used in previous dynamic Monte Carlo simulations is tested.
Proceedings article
S. J. Mitchell, S. Wang, and P. A. Rikvold, Faraday Discussions 121, 53-69 (2002). Discussion: Faraday Discussions 121, 116-120 (2002). Preprint: arXiv:cond-mat/0112299.


Dynamics of Magnetization Reversal in Models of Magnetic Nanoparticles and Ultrathin Films

HTML (with animations), PDF (reduced quality, without animations)

Invited talk at
International Workshop on Nanostructured Magnetic Materials and their Applications
Gebze Institute of Technology, Gebze, Turkey, September 3-7, 2001.
Abstract
We present numerical and theoretical results for models of magnetization switching in nanoparticles and ultrathin films. The models and computational methods include kinetic Ising models of highly anisotropic magnets which are simulated by dynamic Monte Carlo methods, and micromagnetics models of continuum-spin systems that are studied by finite-temperature Langevin simulations. The theoretical analysis builds on the fact that a magnetic particle that is magnetized in a direction antiparallel to the applied field is in a metastable state. Nucleation theory is therefore used to analyze magnetization reversal as the decay of this metastable phase to equilibrium. We present results on magnetization reversal in pure systems, as well as effects of impurities and surfaces, and hysteresis in magnets driven by oscillating external fields.
Proceedings article
P. A. Rikvold, G. Brown, S. J. Mitchell, and M. A. Novotny. In Nanostructured Magnetic Materials and their Applications, edited by D. Shi, B. Aktas, L. Pust, and F. Mikailov, Springer Lecture Notes in Physics, Vol. 593 (Springer, Berlin, 2002), pp. 164-182. Preprint: arXiv:cond-mat/0110103. The cond-mat preprint version does not contain Fig. 1. A PDF file with all figures is found here.


Analytic Approximations for the Velocity of Field-driven Ising and SOS Interfaces

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Invited talk at
University of California at Los Angeles Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics
Workshop on Material Interfaces and Geometrically Based Motions
Los Angeles, CA, April 23-27, 2001
Abstract
We present an analytic nonlinear-response approximation which yields estimates for the field, temperature, and orientation dependences of the velocity of an interface in a two-dimensional kinetic Ising model, driven by a nonzero field at temperatures below the bulk critical temperature [1]. The interface mobility depends on the local interface structure, and the Solid-on-Solid (SOS) approximation is used to estimate field-dependent mean spin-class populations, from which the mean interface velocity can be obtained for any specific single-spin-flip dynamic. In the low-temperature limit the standard polynuclear growth and single-step models are recovered for interfaces making small and large angles with the latice-symmetry directions, respectively. In the case of the Glauber dynamic the analytic results are compared with Monte Carlo simulations. Very satisfactory agreement is found in a wide range of field, temperature, and interface orientation, both for the Ising model and for a modified model in which the interface is constrained to maintain an SOS configuration at all times. For the latter model we also present results for the correlations between nearest-neighbor step heights, illustrating how the up-down symmetry of the interface is gradually destroyed as the field is increased.

[1] P. A. Rikvold and M. Kolesik. J. Stat. Phys. 100, 377-403 (2000). Preprint: cond-mat/9909188.


Dynamic Simulations of X-ray Scattering Intensities and Cyclic Voltammograms for Halide Electrosorption on Single-crystal Silver

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Invited talk at
Symposium on Electrochemical Surface Science on the Molecular/Atomic Scale at the
2000 International Chemical Congress of Pacific Basin Societies (PACIFICHEM 2000)
Honolulu, HI, December 14-19, 2000
Abstract
We present new results from dynamic Monte Carlo simulations of the dynamics of halide adsorption on single-crystal noble-metal electrodes, in particular Br on Ag(100) [1,2]. This system undergoes a continuous phase transition between a disordered phase for negative electrode potentials, and an ordered c(2X2) phase for positive potentials. The dynamic Monte Carlo algorithm includes adsorption, desorption, and nearest- and next-nearest neighbor diffusion, with barriers estimated from ab initio calculations. Using this algorithm, we perform simulations that predict the time dependent intensities of surface X-ray scattering experiments following sudden potential steps across the phase transition. We also provide simulated cyclic voltammograms and current transients following positive and negative potential steps.
[1] S. J. Mitchell, G. Brown, and P. A. Rikvold, J. Electroanal. Chem. 493, 68-74 (2000). Preprint: arXiv:cond-mat/0005249.
[2] S. J. Mitchell, G. Brown, and P. A. Rikvold, Surf. Sci. 471, 125-142 (2001). Preprint: arXiv:cond-mat/0007079.


Nucleation Theory and the Decay of Metastable Phases

HTML (with animations), PDF (reduced quality, without animations)

Invited departmental colloquium at
The Department of Physics, University of Missouri at Rolla
December 7, 2000
Abstract
Metastable phases are ubiquitous in nature, with examples ranging from supercooled water to the quark-gluon plasma. Such phases are easily mistaken for true equilibrium phases, and unless they are strongly perturbed, they can exist for a very long time. Typically, a metastable phase decays suddenly to the true equilibrium through the random nucleation of one or many critical droplets of the equilibrium phase. In this talk I will discuss some aspects of the nucleation theory of metstable decay, with particular emphasis on finite-size effects that are important when considering real systems. The principles will be illustrated with simulation results on magnetization switching in models of magnetic nanoparticles and ultrathin films. As the recording density of magnetic disks rapidly increases, this is an area of critical interest to the computer industry.


Dynamic Monte Carlo Simulations of Potential Steps, Cyclic Voltammograms, and Surface X-ray Scattering Intensities for Br electrosorption on Ag(100)

Invited lecture at
Symposium on Computer Simulation in Electrochemistry at the 220th American Chemical Society National Meeting, Washington, DC, August 20-24, 2000.
Abstract
We present new results from dynamic Monte Carlo simulations of the dynamics of bromine electrosorption on single-crystal Ag(100). This system has a continuous phase transition which separates a disordered phase at negative electrode potentials from an ordered c(2X2) phase at positive potentials [1]. Our dynamic Monte Carlo algorithm includes adsorption, desorption, and nearest- and next-nearest neighbor lateral diffusion, with barriers estimated from ab-initio calculations in the literature. With this algorithm we simulate cyclic voltammograms and current transients following positive and negative potential steps [2], as well as time-dependent intensities of surtace X-ray scattering experiments following sudden potential steps across the phase transition [3].
[1] B.M Ocko, J.X. Wang, and Th. Wandlowski, Phys. Rev. Lett. 79, 1511 (1997).
[2] S.J. Mitchell, G. Brown, and P.A. Rikvold, J. Electroanal. Chem. 493, 68-74 (2000). Preprint: cond-mat/0005249.
[3] S.J. Mitchell, G. Brown, and P.A. Rikvold, Surf. Sci. 471, 125-142 (2001). Preprint: cond-mat/0007079.


Teaching Physics with LEGO: From Steam Engines to Robots

Contributed poster at
Gordon Research Conference on Physics Research and Education, Plymouth, NH, June 11-16, 2000.
Abstract
It has struck us how students at all levels often have very weak intuition about the physical world. This is probably partly due to the increasing sophistication of our surroundings. While children of previous generations played with mechanical toys whose workings they could actually observe, today's children are surrounded by electronic toys and appliances. To understand the workings of those often requires an advanced degree in physics or engineering, and all that is visible with the naked eye are a few plastic squares with metal contacts. Partly to help foster the physical intuition of students at various levels, and partly as a way of amusing ourselves, we have devised a few models from standard LEGO parts, that illustrate some of the principles of mechanics, thermodynamics, and robotics. These include several compressed-air engines modeled on historic steam engines and locomotives, and a robot that sorts LEGO bricks according to color. The models have been used as demonstrations in introductory university physics classes, and in a one-semester mentorship program with middle-school students.


Two-time correlations and coherent scattering experiments on phase-segregating materials

Contributed talk at
The March Meeting of the American Physical Society, Minneapolis, MN, March 20-24, 2000.
Abstract
Numerical and analytical results [ G. Brown, et al., Phys. Rev. E 56, 6601 (1997); 60, 5151 (1999)] applicable to the time-dependent intensity covariance of the speckle intensity at wave vector k are presented. That the covariance can be used to experimentally measure the two-time structure factor of phase-segregating materials is established by direct comparision of numerical estimates of both quantities. The relationship is observed to break down only at very large k. For systems in which the characteristic domain size grows with time tau as R = [B tau]^n, the scaling behavior of the two-time structure factor is obtained analytically from geometric arguments based on a simple moving-interface picture at both large and small t-bar = k^{1/n} B (tau_1 + tau_2)/2. Specifically, the asymptotic scaling of the two-time structure factor for small t-bar is in terms of delta t / t-bar, with delta t = k^{1/n} B|tau_2 - tau_1| . For large t-bar, the appropriate scaling variable is delta t / t-bar^{1-n}. These predictions have been verified in recent experiments [ A. Malik, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 81, 5832 (1998); F. Livet, et al. (unpublished)]. In the large t-bar limit, an analytic scaling function is obtained that agrees well with the simulation results.


Dynamic Monte Carlo Simulation of the Electrosorption of Br on Ag(100)

Invited lecture at
1999 Joint International Meeting of the Electrochemical Society and the Electrochemical Society of Japan. Honolulu, HI, October 18-22, 1999.
Abstract
Modern in situ experimental techniques to study the microscopic structure of electrode--electrolyte interfaces, such as synchrotron X-ray diffraction [1,2] and various scanning microscopies, are providing increasingly detailed information that can be compared with theoretical model studies. A theoretical method which is particularly well suited to modeling the microscopic structure of chemisorbed single- and multi-adsorbate systems is Monte Carlo simulation of lattice-gas models [3]. Such models describe the adsorbate layer by a Hamiltonian which gives the energies of different microscopic adsorbate configurations [3,4]. Here we present results from equilibrium and dynamic Monte Carlo simulations of the electrosorption of Br on single-crystal Ag(100). In recent X-ray scattering studies this system was shown to undergo a continuous order-disorder transition from a disordered low-coverage phase at low potentials to an ordered c(2X2) phase at higher potentials. The transition was found to be in the universality class of the two-dimensional Ising model, as expected from the symmetry of the ordered phase [1]. For the electrolyte compositions used in the experiments, the critical value of the electrode potential lies in the range -0.8 to -0.6V vs SCE, with lower transition potentials corresponding to higher Br concentrations [5]. Following Koper [6] we performed equilibrium Monte Carlo simulations of a lattice-gas model in which the Br adsorbs at the four-fold hollow sites on the Ag(100) surface. Consistent with Koper's results, we find that the equilibrium isotherms are well represented by a lattice-gas model with strongly repulsive nearest-neighbor interactions, which can be approximated by nearest-neighbor exclusion (the hard-square model), plus a repulsive dipole-dipole interactions which falls off as r-3. The dynamic simulations use an algorithm which allows the following moves: The rate for each process is determined by thermal excitation across a transition state whose free energy is determined by a barrier value and, through a Butler-Volmer approximation, by the electrochemical potentials of the initial and final states [2,7]. The barriers are estimated from ab initio calculations [8] of the differences between the Br binding energies at four-fold hollow, bridge, and on-top sites. Nearest-neighbor diffusion corresponds to moving between two hollow sites across a bridge site, while next-nearest-neighbor diffusion involves going across an on-top site. The barrier for adsorption/desorption is estimated to be on the order of twice the next-nearest-neighbor barrier. Using this dynamic Monte Carlo algorithm we calculate the Br coverage and the c(2X2) order parameter as functions of time, following rapid potential steps across the phase transition. Data for the time-dependent scattering intensities near the (1/2,1/2) and (1,1) diffraction peaks are also presented. In agreement with the theoretical expectation for phase-ordering systems with non-conserved order parameter, the characteristic size of the ordered-phase domains is observed to grow as (time)1/2.
  1. B. M. Ocko, J. X. Wang, and T. Wandlowski, Phys. Rev. Lett. 79, 1511 (1997).
  2. G. Brown, P. A. Rikvold, S. J. Mitchell, and M. A. Novotny, in Interfacial Electrochemistry: Theory, Experiment, and Applications, edited by A. Wieckowski (Marcel Dekker, New York, 1999). Preprint: cond-mat/9805126.
  3. P. A. Rikvold, J. B. Collins, G. D. Hansen, and J. D. Gunton, Surf. Sci. 203, 500 (1988). Abstract.
  4. L. Blum, Adv. Chem. Phys. 78, 171 (1990).
  5. J. X. Wang, T. Wandlowski, and B. M. Ocko, Electrochem. Soc. Proc. 97-17, 293 (1997).
  6. M. T. M. Koper, J. Electroanal. Chem. 450, 189 (1998).
  7. P. A. Rikvold, G. Brown, M. A. Novotny, and A. Wieckowski, Coll. Surf. A 134, 3 (1998) Preprint: cond-mat/9703209; G. Brown, P. A. Rikvold, M. A. Novotny, and A. Wieckowski, J. Electrochem. Soc. 146, 1035 (1999) . Preprint: cond-mat/9709320. Related MPEG animations at this URL.
  8. A. Ignaczak and J. A. N. F. Gomes, J.Electroanal. Chem. 420, 71 (1997).



Nucleation Theory of Switching in Magnetic Nanoparticles and Ultrathin Films

Invited lecture at
International Materials Research Congress. Cancun, Mexico, August 29 - September 2, 1999.
Abstract
Anisotropic, single-domain ferromagnetic particles are promising for technological applications such as ultra-high density recording media. Since such particles do not have domain walls in equilibrium, traditional wall-motion descriptions of the switching are inadequate. Here we describe an approach which emphasizes that a ferromagnetic particle in an unfavorable field is metastable. Switching from the antiparallel to the parallel magnetization state occurs through random nucleation and growth of droplets, inside which the magnetization is parallel to the field [1,2]. We summarize relevant results of nucleation theory and present simulations of model single-domain ferromagnets. Since metastable decay involves microscopic and macroscopic time scales separated by many orders of magnitude, sophisticated algorithms are needed [3]. We present comparisons between our results and experiments, including the often observed maximum in the switching field as a function of grain size, recent observations of a maximum of the coercivity versus coverage in magnetic sesquilayers, and new results on the frequency dependence of hysteresis-loop areas at very low frequencies.
  1. ``Magnetization Switching in Nanoscale Ferromagnetic Grains: Description by a Kinetic Ising Model.'' H. L. Richards, S. W. Sides, M. A. Novotny, and P. A. Rikvold. J. Magn. Magn. Mater. 150, 37-50 (1995). Preprint: cond-mat/9412120.

  2. ``Nucleation Theory of Magnetization Reversal in Nanoscale Ferromagnets.'' P. A. Rikvold, M. A. Novotny, M. Kolesik, and H. L. Richards. In Dynamical Properties of Unconventional Magnetic Systems, edited by A. T. Skjeltorp and D. Sherrington. NATO Science Series E: Applied Sciences (Kluwer, Dordrecht, 1998), Vol. 349, pp. 307-316. Preprint: cond-mat/9705189.




    Monte Carlo Methods for Bridging Short and Long Time Scales in Decay of Metastable Phases: Projective Dynamics and Massive Asynchronous Parallelization

    Invited lecture at
    Workshop on Parallel Algorithms, Computational Efficiency, and Multiscale Materials Simulations. New Orleans, LA, April 2-3, 1999.
    Abstract
    We summarize some algorithms developed in our group to accelerate simulations of metastable decay, without changing the underlying dynamics. These include the Constrained Transfer Matrix (CTM) method, the Monte Carlo with Absorbing Markov Chains (MCAMC) method, serial and massively parallel implementations of the n-fold Way method of Bortz, Kalos, and Lebowitz, and the Projective Dynamics method. Metastable life times up to 1060 Monte Carlo Steps per Site (MCSS) have been measured with these methods.


    Dynamic Phase Transition and Hysteresis in Kinetic Ising Models

    Invited lecture at
    The Twelfth Workshop on Computer Simulation Studies in Condensed Matter Phyiscs.
    Center for Simulational Physics, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA, March 8-12, 1999.
    Abstract
    We briefly introduce hysteresis in spatially extended systems and the dynamic phase transition observed as the frequency of the oscillating field increases beyond a critical value. Hysteresis and the decay of metastable phases are closely related phenomena, and a dynamic phase transition can occur only for field amplitudes, temperatures, and system sizes at which the metastable phase decays through nucleation and growth of many droplets. We present preliminary results from extensive Monte Carlo simulations of a two-dimensional kinetic Ising model in a square-wave oscillating field and estimate critical exponents by finite-size scaling techniques adapted from equilibrium critical phenomena. The estimates are consistent with the universality class of the two-dimensional equilibrium Ising model and inconsistent with two-dimensional random percolation. However, we are not aware of any theoretical arguments indicating why this should be so. Thus, the question of the universality class of this nonequilibrium critical phenomenon remains open.
    Proceedings article
    ``Dynamic Phase Transition and Hysteresis in Kinetic Ising Models.'' P. A. Rikvold, G. Korniss, C. J. White, M. A. Novotny, and S. W. Sides. In Computer Simulation Studies in Condensed Matter Physics XII, edited by D. P. Landau, S. P. Lewis, and H. B. Schüttler, (Springer, Berlin, 2000), pp. 105-119. Preprint: cond-mat/9904028.


    Hysteresis, Dynamic Phase Transition, and Finite-Size Scaling

    Invited lecture at
    International Symposium Beyond Statistical Mechanics
    In honor of Professor Jens Feder on his 60th birthday.
    The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, Oslo, Norway, January 11-12, 1999.
    Abstract
    Hysteresis is considered for a kinetic Ising model in an oscillating field. The system has a dynamic phase transition (DPT) at a specific frequency of the applied field. Finite-size scaling estimates are provided for the critical frequency and the critical indices alpha, gamma, and nu, and it is argued that the DPT corresponds to a nontrivial critical point.


    Kinetic Ising Model in an Oscillating Field: Dynamic Phase Transition and Finite-Size Scaling

    Invited lecture at
    International Workshop on Nonequilibrium Dynamics
    Center for Nonlinear Science, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM
    April 20-22, 1998
    Abstract
    We consider hysteresis for a two-dimensional, spin-1/2, nearest-neighbor, kinetic Ising ferromagnet in an oscillating field, using Monte Carlo simulations. The period-averaged magnetization is the order parameter for a proposed dynamic phase transition (DPT). To quantify the nature of this transition, we present the first finite-size scaling study of the DPT for this model. Evidence of a diverging correlation length is given, and we provide estimates of the transition frequency and the critical indices beta, gamma, and nu.


    How Good is ``Avrami's Law''? Application to a Kinetic Ising Model in Two Dimensions

    Invited lecture at
    International Symposium on Current Issues in Non-Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics and Materials
    In honor of Professor James D. Gunton on his 60th birthday
    Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, October 24-25, 1997
    Abstract
    The Kolmogorov-Johnson-Mehl-Avrami (KJMA) approximation, or ``Avrami's Law,'' for the decay of a metastable phase was proposed almost sixty years ago. It amounts to an extremely simple approximation, which has come to be widely used in areas from metallurgy to food science and cosmology. Despite its simplicity and popularity, few direct numerical tests of its range of validity have been performed for a simple model system. Here we present such a test for the two-dimensional kinetic Ising model in an applied field. Despite its simplicity, we find the approximation amazingly accurate and robust.


    Numerical Simulations of Dynamical Effects in Electrochemical Adsorption

    Invited lecture at
    The 1997 Joint International Meeting of The Electrochemical Society and The International Society of Electrochemistry
    Paris, France, August 31 - September 5, 1997
    Abstract
    We present results of dynamical Monte Carlo simulations of potential-step experiments for the underpotential deposition of copper with sulfate on gold (111) single-crystal electrodes. The results are in good, semiquantitative agreement with experimental results by Hölzle et al. and indicate the applicability of dynamic simulations to electrochemical adsorption problems.


    Nucleation Theory of Magnetization Switching in Nanoscale Uniaxial Ferromagnets

    Invited lecture at
    NATO Advanced Study Institute
    Dynamical Properties of Unconventional Magnetic Systems
    Geilo, Norway, April 2-12, 1997
    Abstract
    Highly anisotropic, single-domain ferromagnetic particles are currently considered for applications in ultra-high density magnetic recording media. Since such particles do not have internal domain walls in equilibrium, traditional wall-motion descriptions of the switching dynamics are inadequate. Recent observations of individual particles by methods such as Magnetic Force Microscopy (MFM) also indicate that the dynamics is not well described by the Néel-Brown theory of uniform magnetization rotation. Here we describe an approach in which it is emphasized that a ferromagnetic particle in an unfavorable field is in fact a metastable system, like a supersaturated solution or vapor. The switching is accomplished through the nucleation and subsequent growth of localized droplets, inside which the magnetization has its equilibrium value. We summarize relevant results of nucleation theory and present data from Monte Carlo simulations of kinetic Ising models of single-domain ferromagnets. The nucleation and growth processes are modified by a variety of boundary conditions, magnetostatic interactions, and impurities. We emphasize the effects of the particle size on the switching dynamics and present qualitative and quantitative comparisons between our results and experiments. These results include the often observed maximum in the switching field as a function of grain size, as well as recent observation of a maximum of the coercivity versus coverage in magnetic sesquilayers.
    Proceedings article
    ``Nucleation Theory of Magnetization Reversal in Nanoscale Ferromagnets.'' P. A. Rikvold, M. A. Novotny, M. Kolesik, and H. L. Richards. In Dynamical Properties of Unconventional Magnetic Systems, edited by A. T. Skjeltorp and D. Sherrington. NATO Science Series E: Applied Sciences (Kluwer, Dordrecht, 1998), Vol. 349, pp. 307-316. Preprint: cond-mat/9705189. Related MPEG animations at this URL.


    Lattice-Gas Models of Electrochemical Adsorption: Statics and Dynamics

    Invited lecture at
    The National Meeting of the American Chemical Society
    Symposium on Electrochemical Surface Science on the International Scene
    Orlando, FL, August, 1996
    Abstract
    We discuss applications of statistical-mechanical lattice-gas models to electrochemical adsorption. We summarize studies of adsorption on single-crystal electrodes, presenting simulated and experimental coverages and voltammetric currents for urea on Pt(100) and the underpotential deposition of Cu on Au(111) in sulfuric acid. We also discuss an extension of the method to study time-dependent phenomena far from equilibrium.
    Proceedings article
    ``Equilibrium and Nonequilibrium Applications of Lattice-Gas Models in Electrochemistry.'' P. A. Rikvold, G. Brown, M. A. Novotny, and A. Wieckowski. Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects 134, 3-14 (1998). Preprint: cond-mat/9703209.


    Phase Transitions in Electrochemical Adsorption

    Invited lecture at
    Second East-West Surface Science Workshop (EWSSW96)
    Pamporovo, Bulgaria, February 17-25, 1996
    Abstract
    A technique of statistical-mechanical lattice-gas modeling of chemisorption, applicable to electrochemical systems dominated by lateral interactions, is reviewed. A strategy for applying the method to specific systems is outlined. This includes microscopic model formulation, calculation of zero-temperature phase diagrams, numerical calculation of thermodynamical and structural quantities at nonzero temperatures, and estimation of the effective, lateral interaction energies. The general discussion is illustrated by applications to the following specific problems. The poisoning by sulfur of hydrogen adsorption on platinum (111), the electrochemical adsorption of organics on polycrystalline copper and nickel and of urea on single-crystal platinum (100), and the underpotential deposition of copper on single-crystal gold (111).
    Proceedings article
    ``Phase Transitions in Electrochemical Adsorption.'' P. A. Rikvold and A. Wieckowski. In Thin Films and Phase Transitions on Surfaces; Proceedings of the Second East-West Surface Science Workshop, EWSSW96, Pamporovo, Bulgaria, February 18-24, 1996, edited by M. Michailov (Institute of Physical Chemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, 1996), pp. 58-75. Abstract.


    Computational Lattice-Gas Modeling of the Electrosorption of Small Molecules and Ions

    Invited lecture at
    International Union for Vacuum Science, Technology, and Applications
    Workshop on Surface Science and Electrochemistry
    San Benedetto del Tronto, Italy, September 12-16, 1994
    Abstract
    Lattice-gas modeling is applied to electrochemical adsorption on catalytically active metal substrates: urea on Pt(100) and (bi)sulfate on Rh(111). Both involve specific adsorption of small molecules or ions on single-crystal electrodes. Ordered submonolayer adsorbate phases are formed in a range of electrode potential positive of the range in which an adsorbed monolayer of hydrogen is stable. In both systems the ordered-phase region is separated from the adsorbed-hydrogen region by a phase transition, signified in cyclic voltammograms by a sharp current peak. Based on data from in situ radiochemical surface concentration measurements, cyclic voltammetry, and scanning tunneling microscopy, and ex situ Auger electron spectroscopy and low-energy electron diffraction, we have developed specific models for the two systems. These models were studied by group-theoretical ground-state calculations and numerical Monte Carlo simulations, and effective interaction parameters were determined so as to provide agreement with experiments.
    Proceedings article
    ``Computational Lattice-Gas Modeling of the Electrosorption of Small Molecules and Ions.'' P. A. Rikvold, M. Gamboa-Aldeco, J. Zhang, M. Han, H. L. Richards, Q. Wang, and A. Wieckowski. Surf. Sci. 335, 389-400 (1995). Preprint: cond-mat/9409121. Related MPEG animations at this URL.


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