Metastable reverse-phase droplets within ordered phases: Renormalization-group calculation of field and temperature dependence of limiting size

Abstract

Metastable reverse-phase droplets are calculated by renormalization-group theory by evaluating the magnetization of a droplet under magnetic field, matching the boundary condition with the reverse phase and noting whether the reverse-phase magnetization sustains. The maximal metastable droplet size and the discontinuity across the droplet boundary are thus calculated as a function of temperature and magnetic field for the Ising model in three dimensions. The method also yields hysteresis loops for finite systems, as function of temperature and system size.