  We consider three extensions of the standard 2D Ising model with Glauber
dynamics on a finite torus at low temperature. The first model is an
anisotropic version, where the interaction energy takes different values on
vertical and on horizontal bonds. The second model adds next-nearest-neighbor
attraction to the standard Ising model. And the third model associates
different alternating signs for the magnetic fields on even and odd rows. All
these models have already been studied, and results concerning metastability
have been established using the so-called pathwise approach. In this text, we
extend these earlier results, and apply the potential-theoretic approach to
metastability to obtain more precise asymptotic information on the transition
time from the metastable phase to the stable phase.
