Phase Ordering in a few O(n) Symmetric Models: Slow Growth, Mpemba Effect and Experimental Relevance
Pith reviewed 2026-05-14 17:54 UTC · model grok-4.3
The pith
In the 3D XY model, characteristic length grows as t to the 0.15 after zero-temperature quench because vortex cores form line defects whose annihilation sets the pace, and quenches from higher starting temperatures reach equilibrium faster.
A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.
Core claim
For quenches to Tf equals zero in the three-dimensional XY model the characteristic length ell of t grows approximately as t to the power 0.15 in the long-time regime, far below the expected 1/2, because the ordering is driven by annihilation of vortex and anti-vortex pairs whose cores join from different planes to form line defects. Quenches performed from a range of starting temperatures Ts above Tc show that larger Ts values produce faster relaxation to the final equilibrium state. The same pattern of slow growth at deep quenches and the Mpemba-like dependence on initial temperature is recovered in two- and three-dimensional Ising models, with the additional observation that the Mpemba效应
What carries the argument
Line defects formed when vortex cores join across planes, whose pairwise annihilation directly controls the measured growth of the characteristic length scale.
If this is right
- The growth law recovers the expected t to the 1/2 scaling once the final temperature is raised enough above zero.
- The Mpemba speedup occurs for the full distribution of initial magnetizations in three dimensions but only near-zero magnetization in two dimensions.
- The reported exponents and temperature dependence are presented as directly testable in magnetic or superfluid systems.
Where Pith is reading between the lines
- If line-defect annihilation governs the dynamics, analogous slow growth should appear in other three-dimensional models that support stable line-like topological defects.
- The robustness of the Mpemba effect to the full magnetization distribution in three dimensions suggests it may be easier to observe experimentally in bulk three-dimensional samples than in two-dimensional films.
- Measuring the time evolution of the correlation length in superfluid films or magnetic materials after controlled quenches would directly test the predicted 0.15 exponent.
Load-bearing premise
That the long-time growth exponent is set by the annihilation of these line defects and is not dominated by finite-size effects or lattice artifacts.
What would settle it
A clear crossover to an exponent near 1/2 at sufficiently late times in much larger systems, or direct imaging showing that line defects disappear well before the measured growth regime, would show the scaling is not controlled by line-defect annihilation.
Figures
read the original abstract
We study phase ordering dynamics in the three-dimensional nonconserved XY model, via Monte Carlo simulations, for quenches from paramagnetic phase to certain final temperatures $T_f$ within the ferromagnetic region of the phase diagram. The growth in the system occurs via annihilation of vortex and anti-vortex pairs, cores of which, in the three dimensional system geometry, join from different planes, on which the spins lie, to form line defects. In the long-time limit, the associated characteristic length scale, $\ell(t)$, appears to grow with time $(t)$ approximately as $t^{0.15}$, for $T_f=0$. The exponent is much smaller, like in the zero temperature intermediate time ordering in the three dimensional Ising model, than $1/2$, the expected value, that is realized for quenches to $T_f$ value that is sufficiently larger than zero. We carry out quenches from different starting temperatures, $T_s$, that lie above the critical temperature $T_c$. It is observed that the systems with higher $T_s$ approach the final equilibrium faster. This resembles the puzzling Mpemba effect. We present similar results also from the simulations of the two- and three- dimensional Ising model. In the case of the 2D Ising model, we show that the Mpemba effect is observed only if the starting magnetization is restricted to a value close to zero. In $d=3$, on the other hand, for both the models, the effect appears even if the initial configurations at a given $T_s$ are chosen from the full distribution of magnetization. Thus, our results are of much experimental relevance.
Editorial analysis
A structured set of objections, weighed in public.
Referee Report
Summary. The manuscript reports Monte Carlo simulations of phase-ordering kinetics in the 3D non-conserved XY model after quenches from the paramagnetic phase to Tf=0 and other ferromagnetic Tf values. It identifies vortex-core line defects whose pairwise annihilation is said to produce a characteristic length ℓ(t) that grows only as t^{0.15} at Tf=0 (far below the expected t^{1/2} law), while quenches from higher starting temperatures Ts are observed to reach equilibrium faster, resembling the Mpemba effect. Analogous results are presented for the 2D and 3D Ising models, with the Mpemba signature in 2D requiring initial magnetization near zero.
Significance. If the slow-growth exponent and Mpemba observations survive finite-size controls, the work would supply concrete numerical evidence for anomalous coarsening in three-dimensional O(n) models and for the Mpemba effect in purely relaxational dynamics, both of which remain poorly understood and are potentially accessible in magnetic or liquid-crystal experiments.
major comments (3)
- [Results for the 3D XY model] The central claim that line-defect annihilation produces the reported ℓ(t)∼t^{0.15} law at Tf=0 (abstract and results section) rests on an identification that is not accompanied by any finite-size scaling collapse or explicit variation of linear size L at fixed late times. Without such checks it is impossible to rule out that the measured exponent is an intermediate-time transient dominated by periodic-boundary or discreteness effects once defect separation approaches L.
- [Mpemba-effect analysis] The Mpemba-effect statement that “systems with higher Ts approach the final equilibrium faster” (abstract and corresponding figures) is not supported by a quantitative metric (e.g., time to reach a fixed value of the two-point correlation or energy) nor by error bars on the crossing times; the visual comparison alone is insufficient to establish the effect as load-bearing for the paper’s conclusions.
- [Comparison with Ising models] The assertion that the same line-defect mechanism explains the slow growth in both the XY and Ising cases is not backed by a direct comparison of defect statistics or by a controlled test that the chosen definition of ℓ(t) (first zero of the correlation function or peak of the structure factor) remains free of lattice artifacts across the two models.
minor comments (3)
- [Methods] The notation ℓ(t) is introduced without an explicit equation defining how it is extracted from the correlation function or structure factor.
- [Abstract] A few sentences in the abstract contain minor grammatical issues (“like in the zero temperature intermediate time ordering…”) that should be polished for clarity.
- [Discussion] The experimental-relevance paragraph would benefit from one or two concrete observables (e.g., neutron-scattering peak width or magnetization relaxation time) that could be measured in a real system.
Simulated Author's Rebuttal
We thank the referee for the careful reading and constructive comments on our manuscript. We address each major point below and will revise the manuscript to strengthen the claims with additional analyses.
read point-by-point responses
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Referee: [Results for the 3D XY model] The central claim that line-defect annihilation produces the reported ℓ(t)∼t^{0.15} law at Tf=0 (abstract and results section) rests on an identification that is not accompanied by any finite-size scaling collapse or explicit variation of linear size L at fixed late times. Without such checks it is impossible to rule out that the measured exponent is an intermediate-time transient dominated by periodic-boundary or discreteness effects once defect separation approaches L.
Authors: We agree that explicit finite-size checks are necessary to confirm the robustness of the t^{0.15} growth law. In the revised manuscript we will present data for several linear sizes L, demonstrate that the exponent remains stable at late times when defect separation is still much smaller than L, and include a scaling collapse of ℓ(t)/L versus t/L^z to rule out boundary or discreteness transients. revision: yes
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Referee: [Mpemba-effect analysis] The Mpemba-effect statement that “systems with higher Ts approach the final equilibrium faster” (abstract and corresponding figures) is not supported by a quantitative metric (e.g., time to reach a fixed value of the two-point correlation or energy) nor by error bars on the crossing times; the visual comparison alone is insufficient to establish the effect as load-bearing for the paper’s conclusions.
Authors: We accept that a quantitative metric with error bars would make the Mpemba observation more rigorous. The revised version will define a concrete threshold (e.g., energy or correlation function reaching 95 % of its equilibrium value), report the corresponding times with standard errors from independent runs, and show explicit crossing plots to quantify the effect. revision: yes
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Referee: [Comparison with Ising models] The assertion that the same line-defect mechanism explains the slow growth in both the XY and Ising cases is not backed by a direct comparison of defect statistics or by a controlled test that the chosen definition of ℓ(t) (first zero of the correlation function or peak of the structure factor) remains free of lattice artifacts across the two models.
Authors: To address this, we will add a direct comparison of vortex-line (XY) and domain-wall (Ising) densities and annihilation rates. We will also verify that the two alternative definitions of ℓ(t) yield consistent growth exponents in both models and remain free of obvious lattice artifacts by repeating the analysis on larger lattices and with different discretizations. revision: yes
Circularity Check
No circularity: growth exponent and Mpemba observations are direct simulation outputs
full rationale
The paper reports Monte Carlo simulation results for phase ordering in XY and Ising models. The characteristic length ℓ(t) ~ t^0.15 at Tf=0 and the Mpemba effect (faster equilibration from higher Ts) are presented as numerical observations from quenches, not as predictions derived from equations or prior results. No load-bearing step reduces the reported exponent or effect to a fitted input, self-citation, or ansatz by construction. The line-defect interpretation is post-hoc and does not alter the simulation data. The work is self-contained against external benchmarks via direct simulation outputs.
Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger
free parameters (1)
- growth exponent =
0.15
axioms (1)
- domain assumption Monte Carlo dynamics faithfully represent the nonconserved order-parameter evolution of the XY and Ising models
Reference graph
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