Spin Glass — Energy Landscape

Frustrated random interactions create exponentially many metastable states (SK model)

Sherrington-Kirkpatrick Model

H = −Σᵢⱼ Jᵢⱼ sᵢ sⱼ − h Σᵢ sᵢ
Jᵢⱼ ~ N(0, J/√N) (random!)
Each bond: ferromagnet or antiferromagnet
Frustration: can't satisfy all bonds

Controls

Statistics

Energy E
Magnetization m
Frustrated bonds
Accepted moves/step
T_c (SK) ≈ J1.00 J

Key Physics

• Many metastable states
• Exponential barriers ~ N
• Non-ergodic below T_c
• Replica symmetry breaking
(Parisi 1979, Nobel 2021)
• Overlap q_EA = order param