Decision making times in mean-field dynamic Ising model

Abstract

We consider a dynamic mean-field ferromagnetic model in the low-temperature regime in the neighborhood of the zero magnetization state. We study the random time it takes for the system to make a decision, i.e., to exit the neighborhood of the unstable equilibrium and approach one of the two stable equilibrium points. We prove a limit theorem for the distribution of this random time in the thermodynamic limit.