Monte Carlo simulation of strongly disordered Ising ferromagnets

Abstract

We report extensive Monte Carlo simulations of disordered Ising systems in the ferromagnetic region with concentrations of magnetic sites between p=1.0 and 0.5. The magnetization, the susceptibility, and the caloric properties have been studied in the critical region. The critical exponents \ensuremath{\beta} and \ensuremath{\gamma} as well as the universal amplitude A of the magnetization and the ratio ${\mathit{C}}_{+}$/${\mathit{C}}_{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ of the susceptibility amplitudes have been determined with high precision. In addition to the cusplike specific heat, we have also measured the magnetization-energy correlation function \ensuremath{\Gamma}, which is a divergent thermal quantity. The corresponding critical exponent \ensuremath{\zeta}, which is related to the other exponents by \ensuremath{\zeta}=1-\ensuremath{\beta}=(\ensuremath{\alpha}+\ensuremath{\gamma})/2, has been determined. We have found that all quantities show power-law behavior within the temperature range of our simulation. All critical exponents change continuously with dilution. Even in the range of weak dilution (p\ensuremath{\ge}0.8), the effective critical exponents are concentration dependent and are clearly different from their pure system values. In the strongly diluted regime the critical exponents gradually reach new asymptotic behavior at p=0.5--0.6 with values of \ensuremath{\beta}=0.335\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.01 and \ensuremath{\gamma}=1.49\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.02. The exponent \ensuremath{\alpha} of the specific heat becomes -0.17\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.04, which corresponds to a cusplike singularity. We conclude that disorder profoundly changes the critical behavior for weakly as well as strongly disordered spin systems.