Comparison of the microcanonical population annealing algorithm with the Wang-Landau algorithm.

The development of new algorithms for simulations in physics is as important as the development of new analytical methods. In this paper, we present a comparison of the recently developed microcanonical population annealing (MCPA) algorithm with the rather mature Wang-Landau algorithm. The comparison is performed on two cases of the Potts model that exhibit a first-order phase transition.

Blume-Capel model analysis with a microcanonical population annealing method.

We present a modification of the Rose-Machta algorithm [N. Rose and J. Machta, Phys.

Finite-size analysis in neural network classification of critical phenomena.

We analyze the problem of supervised learning of ferromagnetic phase transitions from the statistical physics perspective. We consider two systems in two universality classes, the two-dimensional Ising model and two-dimensional Baxter-Wu model, and perform careful finite-size analysis of the results of the supervised learning of the phases of each model. We find that the variance of the neural network (NN) output function (VOF) as a function of temperature has a peak in the critical region.

Topology of WC/Co Interfaces in Cemented Carbides.

WC-Co cemented carbides build one of the important classes of metal matrix composites. We show in this paper that the use of machine vision methods makes it possible to obtain sufficiently informative statistical data on the topology of the interfaces between tungsten carbide grains (WC) and a cobalt matrix (Co). For the first time, the outlines of the regions of the cobalt binder were chosen as a tool for describing the structure of cemented carbides.

Understanding population annealing Monte Carlo simulations.

Population annealing is a recent addition to the arsenal of the practitioner in computer simulations in statistical physics and it proves to deal well with systems with complex free-energy landscapes. Above all else, it promises to deliver unrivaled parallel scaling qualities, being suitable for parallel machines of the biggest caliber. Here we study population annealing using as the main example the two-dimensional Ising model, which allows for particularly clean comparisons due to the available exact results and the wealth of published simulational studies employing other approaches.