No directed fractal percolation in zero area

We show that fractal (or "Mandelbrot") percolation in two dimensions produces a set containing no directed paths, when the set produced has zero area. This improves a similar result by the first author in the case of constant retention probabilities to the case of retention probabilities approaching 1

Percolation and Magnetization for Generalized Continuous Spin Models

For the Ising model, the spin magnetization transition is equivalent to the percolation transition of Fortuin-Kasteleyn clusters; this result remains valid also for the conventional continuous spin Ising model. The investigation of more general continuous spin models may help to obtain a percolation formulation for the critical behaviour in SU(2) gauge theory. We therefore study a broad class of theories, introducing spin distribution functions, longer range interactions and self-interaction terms. The thermal behaviour of each model turns out to be in the Ising universality class. The corresponding percolation formulations are then obtained by extending the Fortuin-Kasteleyn cluster definition; in several cases they illustrate recent rigorous results.Comment: Abstract and references partially change

Percolation and Magnetization in the Continuous Spin Ising Model

In the strong coupling limit the partition function of SU(2) gauge theory can be reduced to that of the continuous spin Ising model with nearest neighbour pair-interactions. The random cluster representation of the continuous spin Ising model in two dimensions is derived through a Fortuin-Kasteleyn transformation, and the properties of the corresponding cluster distribution are analyzed. It is shown that for this model, the magnetic transition is equivalent to the percolation transition of Fortuin-Kasteleyn clusters, using local bond weights. These results are also illustrated by means of numerical simulations

On the Kert\'esz line: Some rigorous bounds

We study the Kert\'esz line of the $q$--state Potts model at (inverse) temperature $\beta$, in presence of an external magnetic field $h$. This line separates two regions of the phase diagram according to the existence or not of an infinite cluster in the Fortuin-Kasteleyn representation of the model. It is known that the Kert\'esz line $h_K (\beta)$ coincides with the line of first order phase transition for small fields when $q$ is large enough. Here we prove that the first order phase transition implies a jump in the density of the infinite cluster, hence the Kert\'esz line remains below the line of first order phase transition. We also analyze the region of large fields and prove, using techniques of stochastic comparisons, that $h_K (\beta)$ equals $\log (q - 1) - \log (\beta - \beta_p)$ to the leading order, as $\beta$ goes to $\beta_p = - \log (1 - p_c)$ where $p_c$ is the threshold for bond percolation.Comment: 11 pages, 1 figur

Graphical Representations for Ising Systems in External Fields

A graphical representation based on duplication is developed that is suitable for the study of Ising systems in external fields. Two independent replicas of the Ising system in the same field are treated as a single four-state (Ashkin-Teller) model. Bonds in the graphical representation connect the Ashkin-Teller spins. For ferromagnetic systems it is proved that ordering is characterized by percolation in this representation. The representation leads immediately to cluster algorithms; some applications along these lines are discussed.Comment: 13 pages amste

A proof of the Gibbs-Thomson formula in the droplet formation regime

We study equilibrium droplets in two-phase systems at parameter values corresponding to phase coexistence. Specifically, we give a self-contained microscopic derivation of the Gibbs-Thomson formula for the deviation of the pressure and the density away from their equilibrium values which, according to the interpretation of the classical thermodynamics, appears due to the presence of a curved interface. The general--albeit heuristic--reasoning is corroborated by a rigorous proof in the case of the two-dimensional Ising lattice gas.Comment: LaTeX+times; version to appear in J. Statist. Phy