Random-bond antiferromagnetic Ising model in a field

Using combinatorial optimization techniques we study the critical properties of the two- and three-dimensional Ising models with uniformly distributed random antiferromagnetic couplings (1≤J_{i}≤2) in the presence of a homogeneous longitudinal field, h, at zero temperature. In finite systems of linear size, L, we measure the average correlation function, C_{L}(ℓ,h), when the sites are either on the same sublattice, or they belong to different sublattices. The phase transition, which is of first order in the pure system, turns to mixed order in two dimensions with critical exponents 1/ν≈0.5 and η≈0.7. In three dimensions we obtain 1/ν≈0.7, which is compatible with the value of the random-field Ising model, but we cannot discriminate between second-order and mixed-order transitions.