A detailed analysis of the finite–size effects on the bulk critical behaviour of the d–dimensional mean spherical model confined to a film geometry with finite thickness L is reported. Along the finite direction different boundary conditions are applied: periodic (p), antiperiodic (a) and free surfaces with Dirichlet (D), Neumann (N) and a combination of Neumann and Dirichlet (ND) on both surfaces. A systematic method for the evaluation of the finite–size corrections to the free energy for the different types of boundary conditions is proposed. The free energy density and the equation for the spherical field are computed for arbitrary d. It is found, for 2 < d < 4, that the singular part of the free energy has the required finite–size scaling form at the bulk critical temperature only for (p) and (a). For the remaining boundary conditions the standard finite–size scaling hypothesis is not valid. At d = 3, the critical amplitude (related to the so called Casimir amplitude) is estimated. We obtain
A detailed analysis of the finite-size effects on the bulk critical behaviour of the d -dimensional mean spherical model confined to a film geometry with finite thickness L is reported. Along the finite direction different kinds of boundary conditions are applied: periodic ( p ), antiperiodic ( a ) and free surfaces with Dirichlet ( D ), Neumann ( N ) and a combination of Neumann and Dirichlet ( ND ) on both surfaces. A systematic method for the evaluation of the finite-size corrections to the free energy for the different types of boundary conditions is proposed. The free energy density and the equation for the spherical field are computed for arbitrary d . It is found, for 2 < d < 4, that the singular part of the free energy has the required finite-size scaling form at the bulk critical temperature only for ( p ) and ( a ). For the remaining boundary conditions the standard finite-size scaling hypothesis is not valid. At d = 3, the critical amplitude of the singular part of the free energy (related to the so-called Casimir amplitude) is estimated. We obtain Δ ( p ) = −2ζ(3)/(5π) = −0.153 051..., Δ ( a ) = 0.274 543... and Δ ( ND ) = 0.019 22..., implying a fluctuation-induced attraction between the surfaces for ( p ) and repulsion in the other two cases. For ( D ) and ( N ) we find a logarithmic dependence on L .
Explicit expressions are derived for the free energy, the specific heat, and the magnetic susceptibility of a spherical model of spins on a d-dimensional hypercubical lattice, of size
L1\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}
L2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}...\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}
Ld, under antiperiodic boundary conditions. The relevant scaling functions that govern the critical behavior of the system are obtained and, with the use of the asymptotic properties of these functions, various predictions of the Privman-Fisher hypothesis [Phys. Rev. B 30, 322 (1984)] on the hyperuniversality of finite systems are verified. Approach towards standard critical behavior, both for T
Tc(\ensuremath{\infty}) and T>
Tc(\ensuremath{\infty}), is examined. In the former case, the approach generally takes place through a power law; only in some special situations does one obtain an exponential law instead. In the latter case, the approach is generally exponential, except for the susceptibility of the system which (somewhat surprisingly) displays a finite-size effect dominantly determined by the surface-to-volume ratio of the lattice.