Glauber dynamics facts for kids
In statistical physics, Glauber dynamics is a way to simulate the Ising model (a model of magnetism) on a computer. It is a type of Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm.
The algorithm
In the Ising model, we have say N particles that can spin up (+1) or down (-1). Say the particles are on a 2D grid. We label each with an x and y coordinate. Glauber's algorithm becomes:
- Choose a particle
at random. - Sum its four neighboring spins.
. - Compute the change in energy if the spin x, y were to flip. This is
(see the Hamiltonian for the Ising model). - If
flip the spin. That is if flipping reduces the energy, then do it. - Else flip the spin with probability
where T is the temperature. - Display the new grid. Repeat the above N times.
This tries to approximate how the spins change over time. The fancy term is that it is part of nonequilibrium statistical mechanics, which roughly studies the time-dependent behavior of statistical mechanics.
History
The algorithm is named after Roy J. Glauber, Nobel Prize winner and a Harvard physicist who worked at Los Alamos.
Related pages
- Metropolis algorithm
- Ising model
- Monte Carlo algorithm
- Simulated annealing
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Glauber dynamics Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.