The kinetic spherical model in a magnetic field

The long-time kinetics of the spherical model in an external magnetic field and below the equilibrium critical temperature is studied. The solution of the associated stochastic Langevin equation is reduced exactly to a single non-linear Volterra equation. For a sufficiently small external field, the kinetics of the magnetization-reversal transition from the metastable to the ground state is compared to the ageing behaviour of coarsening systems quenched into the low-temperature phase. For an oscillating magnetic field and below the critical temperature, we find evidence for the absence of the frequency-dependent dynamic phase transition, which was observed previously to occur in Ising-like systems. PACS numbers: 05.20.-y, 05.10.Gg, 75.10.Hk, 75.60.Ej, 02.30.Rz Laboratoire associé au CNRS UMR 7556