Order-parameter flow in the SK spin glass. I. Replica symmetry

We present a theory to describe the dynamics of the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick spin-glass with (sequential) Glauber dynamics in terms of deterministic flow equations for macroscopic parameters. Two transparent assumptions allow us to close the macroscopic laws. Replica theory enters as a tool in the calculation of the time-dependent local field distribution. The theory produces, in a natural way, dynamical generalizations of the AT- and zero-entropy lines and of Parisi's order-parameter function P(q). In equilibrium we recover the standard results from equilibrium statistical mechanics. In this paper we make the replica-symmetric ansatz, as a first step towards calculating the order-parameter flow. Numerical simulations support our assumptions and suggest that our equations describe the shape of the local field distribution and the macroscopic dynamics reasonably well in the region where replica symmetry is stable.