Dresden 2026 – scientific programme

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DY: Fachverband Dynamik und Statistische Physik

DY 9: Statistical Physics far from Thermal Equilibrium I

DY 9.7: Talk

Monday, March 9, 2026, 11:15–11:30, ZEU/0160

Thermal Relaxation on Random Graphs via Metropolis and Glauber Dynamics — •Marija Vucelja — University of Virginia, Charlottesville, US — MPI-PKS, Dresden, Germany

Efficient sampling algorithms rely on dynamics that drive a physical system rapidly toward its target state. I will introduce the Mpemba effect -- an anomalous thermal relaxation phenomenon in which a system initially at a higher temperature cools down more quickly than one starting at a lower temperature -- and its heating analog, in which a cooler initial state can lead to faster heating than a hotter initial state. We investigate thermal relaxation in quenched disordered systems under Metropolis and Glauber dynamics, examining how varying transition rates affect relaxation behavior. We show that Metropolis dynamics on a complete graph cannot exhibit the Mpemba effect, whereas on an incomplete graph it can. Even rank-one perturbations of the transition rates are sufficient to generate anomalous relaxation. Finally, we discuss the probability of observing the Mpemba effect in the large-temperature limit.

Keywords: Mpemba Effect; Thermal Relaxation; Markov Chain Monte Carlo; Metropolis dynamics