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arXiv:1410.8574 · Physical Review Letters

Apparent First-Order Wetting and Anomalous Scaling in the Two-Dimensional Ising Model

Xiao-Lun Wu, Douglas B. Abraham, Joseph O. Indekeu

Published Jan 26, 2016• 8 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

The global phase diagram of wetting in the two-dimensional Ising model is obtained through the exact calculation of the surface excess free energy. In addition to a surface field for inducing wetting, a surface-coupling enhancement is also included. The wetting transition (of second order) is critical for any finite ratio of surface coupling J_{s} to bulk coupling J, and becomes of first order in the limit J_{s}/J→∞. However, for J_{s}/J≫1, the critical region is exponentially small and is practically invisible to numerical studies. A distinct preasymptotic regime exists in which the transition displays first-order character. In this regime, surprisingly, the surface susceptibility and surface specific heat develop a divergence and show anomalous scaling with an exponent equal to 3/2.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.116.046101

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We test the Gluing Method on the square-lattice two-dimensional Ising model by reconstructing global free-energy generators from complementary local relations. The emphasis is kept explicit throughout: the inputs used as \emph{gluing material} are separated from quantities obtained \emph{after gluing} and from data reserved for validation. At zero magnetic field, Kramers--Wannier duality is absorbed into the coordinate $\tau=\log\sinh 2K$, so that the reduced free energy decomposes as $\Phi(\tau)=\tau/2+G(|\tau|)$. The gluing materials are then only a critical logarithmic local expansion and a low-order high-temperature outer expansion; the low-temperature sector is generated by duality rather than fitted independently. Positive flat weights preserve the prescribed critical asymptotics to every finite algebraic order. With one crossover parameter fixed from three scalar anchors, the resulting bulk free energy agrees with the exact Onsager benchmark at a maximum relative error of $1.915\times10^{-5}$ on the tested interval. Internal energy and specific heat are derived from the same glued generator. Zero-field finite-size corrections are organized separately as one-variable scaling functions multiplying $L^{-2},L^{-4},\ldots$. At nonzero field in the thermodynamic limit, the gluing materials are the established high-temperature, critical, and low-temperature local expansions of the universal Ising magnetic scaling free energy $\Phi_{\rm mag}(\eta)$, $\eta=m/|h|^{8/15}$. The low-temperature input contains the $|h|$ cusp associated with spontaneous symmetry breaking. Mapping the glued scaling free energy back to the square lattice through nonlinear scaling fields yields a single generator for the magnetic free-energy increment, magnetization, and susceptibility. The construction reproduces high-temperature linear response, the critical isotherm $M\propto |H|^{1/15}$, and the two one-sided limits $M(H\to0^\pm)=\pm M_0$ without separately fitting magnetization branches. Finally, finite size and finite field are combined in the scaling variables $x_t=Lm$ and $x_h=L^{15/8}h$. The two protected one-dimensional axes, a central mixed-response expansion, a low-temperature spectral-rounding relation, and a massive outer description are glued into a two-variable scaling surface $\mathcal Y_{\rm glue}(x_t,x_h)$. The resulting lattice free energy closes in the compact form $\Phi_L^{glue}(K,H)=\Phi_{lat}^{glue}(K,H)+\frac{\mathcal{Y}_{glue}(Lm,L^{15/8}h)- Y_{bulk}(Lm,L^{15/8}h)}{L^2}+O(L^{-4})$ where $m=m(r,H)$ and $h=h(r,H)$ are the nonlinear scaling fields and $Y_{\rm bulk}$ is the thermodynamic singular scaling surface expressed in the same variables. Thus all finite-size/finite-field information is carried by the excess $\mathcal Y_{\rm glue}-Y_{\rm bulk}$, while the thermodynamic lattice free energy remains the previously constructed $\Phi_{\rm lat}^{\rm glue}$. On eleven transfer-matrix points withheld from the construction, the blind free-energy test gives RMS absolute error $3.90\times10^{-4}$ and maximum absolute error $9.55\times10^{-4}$ in $\mathcal Y$. Differentiation of the same free energy produces finite-size magnetization and susceptibility; magnetization is especially stable on the low-temperature side, while the second derivative is more sensitive in crossover regions.

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The global phase diagram of wetting in the two-dimensional Ising model is obtained through the exact calculation of the surface excess free energy. In addition to a surface field for inducing wetting, a surface-coupling enhancement is also included. The wetting transition (of second order) is critical for any finite ratio of surface coupling J_{s} to bulk coupling J, and becomes of first order in the limit J_{s}/J→∞. However, for J_{s}/J≫1, the critical region is exponentially small and is practically invisible to numerical studies. A distinct preasymptotic regime exists in which the transition displays first-order character. In this regime, surprisingly, the surface susceptibility and surface specific heat develop a divergence and show anomalous scaling with an exponent equal to 3/2.
We performed extensive simulations of the random-bond Ising model confined between walls where competitive surface fields act. By properly taking the thermodynamic limit we unambiguously determined wetting transition points of the system, as extrapolation of localization-delocalization transitions of the interface between domains of different orientation driven by the respective fields. The finite-size scaling theory for wetting with short-range fields [E. V. Albano and K. Binder, Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 036101 (2012)] establishes that the average magnetization of the sample, with critical exponent $\ensuremath{\beta}$, is the proper order parameter for the study of wetting. While the hyperscaling relationship given by $\ensuremath{\gamma}+2\ensuremath{\beta}={\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\parallel}}+{\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}$ requires $\ensuremath{\beta}=1/2$ ($\ensuremath{\gamma}=4, {\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\parallel}}=3$, and ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}=2$), the thermodynamic scaling establishes that ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}}_{s}=\ensuremath{\gamma}+\ensuremath{\beta}$, which in contrast requires $\ensuremath{\beta}=0$ (${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}}_{s}=4$), where $\ensuremath{\gamma}, {\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\parallel}}, {\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}$, and ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}}_{s}$ are the critical exponents of the susceptibility, the correlation lengths parallel and perpendicular to the interface, and the gap exponent, respectively. So, we formulate a finite-size scaling theory for wetting without hyperscaling and perform numerical simulations that provide strong evidence of hyperscaling violation (i.e., $\ensuremath{\beta}=0$) and a direct measurement of the susceptibility critical exponent $\ensuremath{\gamma}/{\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}=2.0\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.2$, in agreement with theoretical results for the strong fluctuation regime of wetting transitions with quenched noise.
The one-dimensional transverse field Ising model with boundary fields is studied analytically and numerically. The phase diagram in the ordered state is obtained. We find that there exist two types of phase transitions. The longitudinal boundary fields applied to the left and right ends of the Ising chain are hL{h}_{L}hL​ and hR{h}_{R}hR​, respectively. For $|{h}_{L}|,|{h}_{R}|<\sqrt{1\ensuremath{-}g}$, where ggg is the transverse field and hLhR<0{h}_{L}{h}_{R}<0hL​hR​<0, a first-order phase transition occurs with the changing hL{h}_{L}hL​ or hR{h}_{R}hR​. The energy gap and boundary magnetization are solved exactly. The analytical expressions of the finite-size scaling for the first-order phase transition are obtained. For $|{h}_{R}|>\sqrt{1\ensuremath{-}g}$ and hLhR<0{h}_{L}{h}_{R}<0hL​hR​<0, there exists a continuous phase transition with changing hL{h}_{L}hL​ and vice versa. This transition is identified as a quantum wetting transition. The singularity of the boundary magnetization in this phase transition is explicitly shown. A simple computational procedure with high accuracy and efficiency is proposed to calculate the magnetization. The magnetization profile, correlation functions, and wetting layer thickness are studied numerically.
Systems with a bulk first-order transition can display diverging correlation lengths close to a surface. This surface induced disordering yields a special type of surface criticality. Using extensive numerical simulations we study surface quantities in the two-dimensional Potts model with a large number of states qqq which undergoes a discontinuous bulk transition. The surface critical exponents are thereby found to depend on the value of qqq, which is in contrast to prior claims that these exponents should be universal and independent of qqq. It follows that surface-induced disordering at first-order transitions is characterized by exponents that depend on the details of the model.
Abstract In undergraduate statistical mechanics courses the Ising model always plays an important role because it is the simplest non-trivial model used to describe magnetic systems. The one-dimensional model is easily solved analytically, while the two-dimensional one can be solved exactly by the Onsager solution. For this reason, numerical simulations are usually used to solve the two-dimensional model. Keeping in mind that the two-dimensional model is the platform for studying phase transitions, it is usually an exercise in computational undergraduate courses because its numerical solution is relatively simple to implement and its critical exponents are perfectly known. The purpose of this article is to present a detailed numerical study of the second-order phase transition in the two-dimensional Ising model at an undergraduate level, allowing readers not only to compare the mean-field solution, the exact solution and the numerical one through a complete study of the order parameter, the correlation function and finite-size scaling, but to present the techniques, along with hints and tips, for solving it themselves. We present the elementary theory of phase transitions and explain how to implement Markov chain Monte Carlo simulations and perform them for different lattice sizes with periodic boundary conditions. Energy, magnetization, specific heat, magnetic susceptibility and the correlation function are calculated and the critical exponents determined by finite-size scaling techniques. The importance of the correlation length as the relevant parameter in phase transitions is emphasized.
We consider two-dimensional (d = 2) systems with short-ranged microscopic interactions, where interface unbinding (wetting) transitions occur in the limit of vanishing temperature T .For T = 0 the transition is characterized by non-universal critical properties analogous to those established for thermal wetting transitions in d = 3, albeit with a redefined capillary parameter ω.Within a functional renormalization-group treatment of an effective interfacial model, we compute the finite-temperature phase diagram, exhibiting a line of interface unbinding transitions, terminating at T = 0 with an interfacial quantum-critical point.We identify distinct scaling regimes, reflecting the interplay between quantum and thermal interfacial fluctuations.A crossover line marking the onset of the quantum-critical regime is described by the d = 3 interfacial correlationlength exponent ν || .This potentially opens another way to investigate the non-universal character of ν || .On the other hand, the emergent interfacial quantum-critical regime shows no signatures of non-universality.
We test the Gluing Method on the square-lattice two-dimensional Ising model by reconstructing global free-energy generators from complementary local relations. The emphasis is kept explicit throughout: the inputs used as \emph{gluing material} are separated from quantities obtained \emph{after gluing} and from data reserved for validation. At zero magnetic field, Kramers--Wannier duality is absorbed into the coordinate τ=log⁡sinh⁡2K\tau=\log\sinh 2Kτ=logsinh2K, so that the reduced free energy decomposes as Φ(τ)=τ/2+G(∣τ∣)\Phi(\tau)=\tau/2+G(|\tau|)Φ(τ)=τ/2+G(∣τ∣). The gluing materials are then only a critical logarithmic local expansion and a low-order high-temperature outer expansion; the low-temperature sector is generated by duality rather than fitted independently. Positive flat weights preserve the prescribed critical asymptotics to every finite algebraic order. With one crossover parameter fixed from three scalar anchors, the resulting bulk free energy agrees with the exact Onsager benchmark at a maximum relative error of 1.915×10−51.915\times10^{-5}1.915×10−5 on the tested interval. Internal energy and specific heat are derived from the same glued generator. Zero-field finite-size corrections are organized separately as one-variable scaling functions multiplying L−2,L−4,…L^{-2},L^{-4},\ldotsL−2,L−4,…. At nonzero field in the thermodynamic limit, the gluing materials are the established high-temperature, critical, and low-temperature local expansions of the universal Ising magnetic scaling free energy Φmag(η)\Phi_{\rm mag}(\eta)Φmag​(η), η=m/∣h∣8/15\eta=m/|h|^{8/15}η=m/∣h∣8/15. The low-temperature input contains the ∣h∣|h|∣h∣ cusp associated with spontaneous symmetry breaking. Mapping the glued scaling free energy back to the square lattice through nonlinear scaling fields yields a single generator for the magnetic free-energy increment, magnetization, and susceptibility. The construction reproduces high-temperature linear response, the critical isotherm M∝∣H∣1/15M\propto |H|^{1/15}M∝∣H∣1/15, and the two one-sided limits M(H→0±)=±M0M(H\to0^\pm)=\pm M_0M(H→0±)=±M0​ without separately fitting magnetization branches. Finally, finite size and finite field are combined in the scaling variables xt=Lmx_t=Lmxt​=Lm and xh=L15/8hx_h=L^{15/8}hxh​=L15/8h. The two protected one-dimensional axes, a central mixed-response expansion, a low-temperature spectral-rounding relation, and a massive outer description are glued into a two-variable scaling surface Yglue(xt,xh)\mathcal Y_{\rm glue}(x_t,x_h)Yglue​(xt​,xh​). The resulting lattice free energy closes in the compact form ΦLglue(K,H)=Φlatglue(K,H)+Yglue(Lm,L15/8h)−Ybulk(Lm,L15/8h)L2+O(L−4)\Phi_L^{glue}(K,H)=\Phi_{lat}^{glue}(K,H)+\frac{\mathcal{Y}_{glue}(Lm,L^{15/8}h)- Y_{bulk}(Lm,L^{15/8}h)}{L^2}+O(L^{-4})ΦLglue​(K,H)=Φlatglue​(K,H)+L2Yglue​(Lm,L15/8h)−Ybulk​(Lm,L15/8h)​+O(L−4) where m=m(r,H)m=m(r,H)m=m(r,H) and h=h(r,H)h=h(r,H)h=h(r,H) are the nonlinear scaling fields and YbulkY_{\rm bulk}Ybulk​ is the thermodynamic singular scaling surface expressed in the same variables. Thus all finite-size/finite-field information is carried by the excess Yglue−Ybulk\mathcal Y_{\rm glue}-Y_{\rm bulk}Yglue​−Ybulk​, while the thermodynamic lattice free energy remains the previously constructed Φlatglue\Phi_{\rm lat}^{\rm glue}Φlatglue​. On eleven transfer-matrix points withheld from the construction, the blind free-energy test gives RMS absolute error 3.90×10−43.90\times10^{-4}3.90×10−4 and maximum absolute error 9.55×10−49.55\times10^{-4}9.55×10−4 in Y\mathcal YY. Differentiation of the same free energy produces finite-size magnetization and susceptibility; magnetization is especially stable on the low-temperature side, while the second derivative is more sensitive in crossover regions.