STABLE SPINS IN THE ZERO-TEMPERATURE SPINODAL DECOMPOSITION OF 2D POTTS MODELS

We present the results of zero temperature Monte Carlo simulations of the q-state Potts model on a square lattice with either four or eight neighbors, and for the triangular lattice with six neighbors. In agree ment with previous works, we observe that the domain growth process ge ts blocked for the nearest-neighbor square lattice when q is large eno ugh, whereas for the eight neighbor square lattice and for the triangu lar lattice no blocking is observed. Our simulations indicate that the number of spins which never flipped from the beginning of the simulat ion up to time t follows a power law as a function of the energy, even in the case of blocking. The exponent of this power law varies from l ess than 1/2 for the Ising case (q = 2) to 2 for q --> infinity and se ems to be universal. The effect of blocking on this exponent is invisi ble at least up to q = 7.