Phase diagrams of classical spin fluids: The influence of an external magnetic field on the liquid-gas transition

The influence of an external magnetic field on the liquid-gas phase transition in Ising, XY, and Heisenberg spin fluid models is studied using a modified mean field theory and Gibbs ensemble Monte Carlo simulations. It is demonstrated that the theory is able to reproduce quantitatively all characteristic features of the field dependence of the critical temperature T(c)(H) for all the three models. These features include a monotonic decrease of T(c) with rising H in the case of the Ising fluid as well as a more complicated nonmonotonic behavior for the XY and Heisenberg models. The nonmonotonicity consists in a decrease of T(c) with increasing H at weak external fields, an increase of T(c) with rising H in the strong field regime, and the existence of a minimum in T(c)(H) at intermediate values of H. Analytical expressions for T(c)(H) in the large field limit are presented as well. The paramagnetic-ferromagnetic phase transition is also considered in simulations and described within the mean field theory.