Metastability for a stochastic dynamics with a parallel heat bath updating rule ∗

We consider the problem of metastability for a stochastic dynamics with a parallel updating rule with single spin rates equal to those of the heat bath for the Ising nearest neighbors interaction. We study the exit from the metastable phase, we describe the typical exit path and evaluate the exit time. We prove that the phenomenology of metastability is different from the one observed in the case of the serial implementation of the heat bath dynamics. In particular we prove that an intermediate chessboard phase appears during the excursion from the minus metastable phase toward the plus stable phase. AMS 1991 subject classification: 60K35; 82B43; 82C43; 82C80.