DISORDERED STATES IN A GENERALIZED POTTS-MODEL WITH UNIFORM NONFRUSTRATED COUPLINGS

A generalized three-state Potts model is investigated. The interaction energy depends both on the states of nearest neighbors and on the ori entation of the bond between them. In a certain region of the phase di agram relaxation processes become anomalously slow, which is reminisce nt of glassy behavior, although the couplings are uniform and unfrustr ated, The freezing into disordered configurations is studied by Monte Carlo simulations. Different time scales, exponential and algebraic ti me dependences, are found for macroscopic quantities. An explanation o f the underlying mechanism is suggested based on analytical arguments that elucidate the structure of the energy landscape in phase space.