FINITE-SIZE-SCALING AND DAMAGE SPREADING IN ISING SYSTEMS WITH MULTISPIN INTERACTIONS

We investigate two-dimensional Ising systems with multispin interactio ns of three- (m = 3) and four-body terms (m = 4). The application of a new type of finite-size algorithm of de Oliveira allow us to clearly distinguish a first-order transition (in the m = 4 case) from a contin uous one (in the m = 3 one). We also study the damage spreading in the se systems. In this study, a dynamical phenomenon is observed to occur at a critical point separating a chaotic phase from a frozen one. How ever, the width of the interval where this transition happens does not yield a conclusive evidence about the order of the phase transition. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.