Computer Simulation of Phase Transitions in Thin Films with an Antidote Lattice
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
The manuscript "Computer Simulation of Phase Transitions in Thin Films with an Antidote Lattice" of Belim et al . presents the findings of simulations of phase transitions in Antidote lattices and their influence on certain magnetic properties.
I have a few comments:
-) The methods are not described adequately. While there are some comments about the algorithms used (page 3), there is not much of explanations. This is a purely theoretical study, so this section must be more detailed. How are the simulations working in detail? Which software was used (or written)? There is not much chance to reproduce the findings without more insights.
-) at the end of page 3, the explanations o the algorithms are not clear to me. Why mention Wolfˋs method and then immediately discard it again? Maybe this can be tackled together with the previous question.
-) The graphical quality of the figurs is very low. They should be improved, captions more detailed, and provided with a higher resolution.
These are critical points that must/hould be tackled before publication can be considered.
Author Response
Dear reviewer!
We thank you for your constructive comments. We provide answers to your questions and comments.
- The methods are not described adequately. While there are some comments about the algorithms used (page 3), there is not much of explanations. This is a purely theoretical study, so this section must be more detailed. How are the simulations working in detail? Which software was used (or written)? There is not much chance to reproduce the findings without more insights.
Answer: We use Wolf and Metropolis algorithms. These algorithms are widely known to computer simulators and have been tested. They have proven themselves well in such tasks. The detailed description of these algorithms in this article is of no interest. Standard software for these algorithms does not exist. System configurations change, so each requires an original program.
- at the end of page 3, the explanations o the algorithms are not clear to me. Why mention Wolfˋs method and then immediately discard it again? Maybe this can be tackled together with the previous question.
Answer: Wolff algorithm is used to find phase transition temperatures and critical exponents. This algorithm is faster than the Metropolis algorithm. However, it cannot be used in describing the magnetization of the system. Metropolis algorithm computes a hysteresis loop. Changing a fast algorithm to a slow algorithm requires clarification.
- The graphical quality of the figurs is very low. They should be improved, captions more detailed, and provided with a higher resolution.
Answer: Figures have been modified.
Reviewer 2 Report
This manuscript reports the Computer Simulation of Phase Transitions in Thin Films with 2 an Antidote Lattice. In my opinion, the manuscript is suitable for publication in the Coating, after the authors have addressed the following Major comments.
- The abstract need more clarity. Add application?
- Modify all the figures.
- Change the conclusion completely”
- The paper should be checked by a local English speaker as there are many English mistakes.
- The same style must be followed for the references.
- The authors should check the figures, original origin figures must be included in the manuscript.
Author Response
Dear reviewer!
We thank you for your constructive comments. We provide answers to your questions and comments.
- The abstract need more clarity. Add application?
Answer: The abstract is expanded.
- Modify all the figures.
Answer: Figures have been modified.
- Change the conclusion completely”
Answer: We don't understand that remark. There are no specific comments for the conclusion. We can completely rewrite the conclusion. But we will not understand whether it has improved from your point of view.
- The paper should be checked by a local English speaker as there are many English mistakes.
Answer: Detected English errors have been fixed.
- The same style must be followed for the references.
Answer: The reference style has been corrected.
- The authors should check the figures, original origin figures must be included in the manuscript.
Answer: Figures have been checked and modified.
Reviewer 3 Report
This paper describes only the theoretical method and doesn't include any experimental investigations.
In my view, may not be suitable for publication in Coatings, which primarily focuses on various coatings and their engineering applications.
Author Response
Dear reviewer!
The Scope of the Coatings includes Section:
“Theoretical and computational modeling of surfaces and interfaces”.
We believe our article is suitable for publication in Coatings.
Round 2
Reviewer 1 Report
The revised manuscript “Computer Simulation of Phase Transitions in Thin Films with 2 an Antidote Lattice” of Belim et al. has hardly changed compared to the previous manuscript which has been subjected to major revision. Not only is it not clear to me how the calculations are performed, but I also cannot confidently say that anyone else will be able to reproduce these results without running into larger troubles.
It may be that self-written software is common in the field, but then it is even more important to describe exactly what has been implemented and calculated. While the main manuscript may be not the right place for this, an SI certainly is. If the algorithm is well known and broadly used, citable implementations certainly exist – a quick search immediately lead me to Matlab implementations of Wolf’s optimization algorithm. Nevertheless, the formal implementation is indeed of no interest. However, without providing any details about the simulations, it is near impossible to reproduce them. Reproducibility is however crucial, and therefore I cannot recommend publication of the manuscript at this point.
The figures have been changed, but have also not improved in any way. I strongly recommend the authors to re-iterate over the manuscript and provide an improved version at a later point.
Author Response
Dear reviewer!
Our article contains enough information to reproduce results by specialists in computer modeling of phase transitions in spin systems. We have been working in this area for a long time. We wrote the article as it is customary to write articles on this subject. A researcher who has not previously worked in this area and is not familiar with the approaches we use will not be able to immediately reproduce the results. However, it is impossible to require the research article to present all the details for non-specialists. In this case, the article will become uninteresting to specialists.
Reviewer 2 Report
The Authors have addressed all the reviewers comments. So now I must accept this paper as it is.
Author Response
Dear reviewer!
We thank you for recommending our article for publication.
Reviewer 3 Report
Authors have addressed all the comments made by all the reviewers. The manuscript may be accepted for publication.
Author Response
Dear reviewer!
We thank you for recommending our article for publication.
Round 3
Reviewer 1 Report
The manuscript is basically unchanged.
Author Response
Dear reviewer!
Apparently you did not read our previous answer. We will try again to explain to you the error of your requirements for the article. Matlab is not the only means of modeling physical systems. Matlab is a poor tool for investigating models of spin systems. This fact has been known for a long time. This simulation works too slowly. The inclusion in the article of a description of long-known algorithms will reduce the scientific level of the article. The reference list contains references to articles describing algorithms. Experts have been using these algorithms in different options for more than thirty years. We did not change the article, as the fulfillment of your requirements will greatly worsen it.
