Kurtosis of the order parameter in statistical physics
The Binder parameter or Binder cumulant[1][2] in statistical physics, also known as the fourth-order cumulant is defined as the kurtosis of the order parameter, s, introduced by Austrian theoretical physicist Kurt Binder. It is frequently used to determine accurately phase transition points in numerical simulations of various models. [3]
The phase transition point is usually identified comparing the
behavior of as a function of the temperature for different values of the system size . The transition temperature is the unique point where the different curves cross in the thermodynamic limit. This behavior is based on the fact that
in the critical region, , the Binder parameter behaves as , where .
Accordingly, the cumulant may also be used to identify the universality class of the transition by determining the value of the critical exponent of the correlation length. [1]