Microscopic origin of abrupt mixed-order phase transitions

Area of Science:

• * Physics
• * Statistical Mechanics
• * Complex Systems

Background:

• * Abrupt transitions in physical systems are common but their microscopic origins are not fully understood.
• * Existing models often lack a detailed explanation for the sudden nature of these phase transitions.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To propose and demonstrate a plausible microscopic origin for abrupt mixed-order transitions.
• * To investigate the role of cascading changes in interaction networks.
• * To calculate critical exponents associated with these transitions.

Main Methods:

• * Analysis of three different Ising models with additional interaction types.
• * Identification of microscopic cascades and metastable states.
• * Calculation of critical exponents for cascading, magnetization, and fluctuations.

Main Results:

• * A novel mechanism for abrupt transitions driven by long-term microscopic cascades was identified.
• * A metastable cascading plateau was observed preceding the abrupt transition.
• * Critical exponents for cascading, magnetization, convergence slowing, and fluctuations were calculated.

Conclusions:

• * The study provides a microscopic explanation for abrupt transitions in physical systems.
• * Findings offer insights into phenomena observed in both nature and technology.
• * The developed approach can be applied to understand diverse abrupt transition mechanisms.