The random transverse-field Ising chain is the simplest disordered model presenting a quantum phase transition at
T=0. We compare analytically its finite-size scaling properties in two different ensembles for the disorder: (i) the canonical ensemble, where the disorder variables are independent and (ii) the microcanonical ensemble, where there exists a global constraint on the disorder variables. The observables under study are the surface magnetization, the correlation of the two surface magnetizations, the gap and the end-to-end spin-spin correlation
C(L) for a chain of length L. At criticality, each observable decays typically as ${e}^{\ensuremath{-}w\sqrt{L}}$ in both ensembles, but the probability distributions of the rescaled variable w are different in the two ensembles, in particular, in their asymptotic behaviors. As a consequence, the dependence on L of averaged observables differs in the two ensembles. For instance, the correlation
C(L) decays algebraically as
1/L in the canonical ensemble, but subexponentially as ${e}^{\ensuremath{-}{\mathrm{cL}}^{1/3}}$ in the microcanonical ensemble. Off criticality, probability distributions of rescaled variables are governed by the critical exponent $\ensuremath{\nu}=2$ in both ensembles, but the following observables are governed by the exponent $\stackrel{\ifmmode \tilde{}\else \~{}\fi{}}{\ensuremath{\nu}}=1$ in the microcanonical ensemble, instead of the exponent $\ensuremath{\nu}=2$ in the canonical ensemble: (a) In the disordered phase, the averaged surface magnetization, the averaged correlation of the two surface magnetizations and the averaged end-to-end spin-spin correlation; (b) in the ordered phase, the averaged gap. In conclusion, the measure of the rare events that dominate various averaged observables can be very sensitive to the microcanonical constraint.
In a disordered system one can either consider a microcanonical ensemble, where there is a precise constraint on the random variables, or a canonical ensemble where the variables are chosen according to a distribution without constraints. We address the question as to whether critical exponents in these two cases can differ through a detailed study of the random transverse-field Ising chain. We find that the exponents are the same in both ensembles, though some critical amplitudes vanish in the microcanonical ensemble for correlations which span the whole system and are particularly sensitive to the constraint. This can appear as a different exponent. We expect that this apparent dependence of exponents on ensemble is related to the integrability of the model, and would not occur in nonintegrable models.