Surface-induced ordering and disordering in face-centered-cubic alloys: A Monte Carlo study

Using extensive Monte Carlo simulations we have studied phase transitions in a fcc model with antiferromagnetic nearest-neighbor couplings $J$ in the presence of different free surfaces which lead either to surface-induced order or to surface-induced disorder. Our model is a prototype for CuAu-type ordering alloys and shows a strong first-order bulk transition at a temperature $\frac{k{T}_{\mathrm{cb}}}{|J|}=1.738005(50)$. For free (100) surfaces, we find a continuous surface transition at a temperature ${T}_{\mathrm{cs}}g{T}_{\mathrm{cb}}$ exhibiting critical exponents of the two-dimensional Ising model. Surface-induced ordering occurs as the temperature approaches ${T}_{\mathrm{cb}}$ and …

Surface-induced disordering at first-order transitions in body-centered cubic binary alloys: A Monte-Carlo simulation

Surface effects on the phase transition from theDO3 phase to the disordered phase are studied for a bcc Ising antiferromagnet with nearest and next-nearest neighbor exchange interactions in a magnetic field. This model can also be considered to represent binary alloys such as the FeAl-system; missing interactions near the surface translate then into surface magnetic fields. The change of the local magnetization near the surface then corresponds to “surface enrichment” of one component. For a plausible choice of parameters surface-induced disordering is found and the associated critical behavior is studied. Varying the bulk fieldH near the transition fieldHc, we find that the thickness of th…

Lattice gas models for multilayer adsorption: variation of phase diagrams with the strength of the substrate potential

Abstract The simple cubic lattice gas model with nearest-neighbor attractive interaction is considered for the case where the potential V ( z ), that an adatom at a distance z from the surface experiences due to the substrate, is V ( z ) = − A / z 3 . Exact ground state phase diagrams are obtained for different A , while the behavior at nonzero temperatures is studied both by Monte Carlo simulations and the molecular field approximation. We show that the detailed sequence of the layering transitions in the first few layers depends very strongly on the strength of the substrate potential: for strong potentials individual first-order layering transitions in layers 1, 2, 3, …, while for interm…

Interface localization transition in Ising films with competing walls: Ginzburg criterion and crossover scaling.