Metastability in a four-spin Ising model

Slow dynamics and metastability are often seen in models with quenched diso rder, but rather harder to find in situations where no such disorder is pre sent and energy or entropy barriers must be generated dynamically. Using Mo nte Carlo simulations we show that the 3D four-spin interaction Ising model , which possesses no quenched disorder, exhibits rather strong metastabilit y in a broad range of temperatures around its first-order transition point, due to the shape dependence of excitations in the model and the resulting largeness of the associated critical droplets.