Changing the universality class of the three-dimensional Edwards-Anderson spin-glass model by selective bond dilution

The three-dimensional Edwards-Anderson spin-glass model presents strong spatial heterogeneities well characterized by the so-called backbone, a magnetic structure that arises as a consequence of the properties of the ground state and the low-excitation levels of such a frustrated Ising system. Using extensive Monte Carlo simulations and finite size scaling, we study how these heterogeneities affect the phase transition of the model. Although we do not detect any significant difference between the critical behavior displayed by the whole system and that observed inside and outside the backbone, surprisingly, a selective bond dilution of the complement of this magnetic structure induces a change of the universality class, whereas no change is noted when the backbone is fully diluted. This finding suggests that the region surrounding the backbone plays a more relevant role in determining the physical properties of the Edwards-Anderson spin-glass model than previously thought. Furthermore, we show that when a selective bond dilution changes the universality class of the phase transition, the ground state of the model does not undergo any change. The opposite case is also valid, i. e., a dilution that does not change the critical behavior significantly affects the fundamental level.