Metastable Potts droplets

Abstract

The existence and limits of metastable droplets have been calculated using finite-system renormalization-group theory, for q-state Potts models in spatial dimension d = 3. The dependence of the droplet critical sizes on magnetic field, temperature, and number of Potts states q has been calculated. The same method has also been used for the calculation of hysteresis loops across first-order phase transitions in these systems. The hysteresis loop sizes and shapes have been deduced as a function of magnetic field, temperature, and number of Potts states q. The uneven appearance of asymmetry in the hysteresis loop branches has been noted. The method can be extended to criticality and phase transitions in metastable phases, such as in surface-adsorbed systems and water.