Phase transitions at surfaces, edges, and corners

Results of large-scale Monte Carlo simulations of three-dimensional Ising models with edges and corners are reviewed. At the ordinary transition, angle dependent critical exponents are observed, whereas at the surface transition edge and corner critical exponents are non-universal and depend on the details of the model. The results obtained at the surface transition are compared to exact findings on critical two-dimensional Ising models with different types of defect lines.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure

Anomalies in the antiferromagnetic phase of metamagnets

Motivated by recent experiments on the metamagnet FeBr2, anomalies of the magnetization and the specific heat in the antiferromagnetic phase of related spin models are studied systematically using Monte Carlo simulations. In particular, the dependence of the anomalous behavior on competing intralayer interactions, the spin value and the Ising-like anisotropy of the Hamiltonian is investigated. Results are compared to experimental findings on FeBr2.Comment: 19 pages, 15 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.