Self-organized fine-tuned response in a driven spin glass

Abstract

In this thesis, I investigate the principles that that can be used to predict the behavior of a many-bodied system when an external drive is applied. I consider a spin glass as a prototypical model of such a system, and investigate these principles through simulation. I find that spins differentiate into slow spins which decouple from the drive and fast spins which couple more strongly to the drive, resulting in macroscopic quantities like work absorption rate and internal energy decreasing as compared to the near-equilibrium distribution. Which spins fall into which categories is specific to a particular realization of the external drive; changing to another drive changes which spins are fast and which are slow, revealing a drive-specific adaptation. I investigate limits on the memory of the system, and demonstrate the system's capability to identify changes in real-world images.