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Physical Review Letters

Universality of Finite-Size Scaling: Role of the Boundary Conditions

G. G. Cabrera, Rémi Jullien

Published Jul 28, 1986• 38 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The influence of the boundary conditions on the finite-size dependence of the mass gap in the 1D Ising model with a transverse field is studied by means of combined exact results and large-size numerical calculations. The well-known exponential form (for transverse fields smaller than the critical one) is only recovered in a limited range of parameters. A power-law behavior for the mass gap is even found in the case of antiperiodic boundary conditions.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.57.393

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The influence of the boundary conditions on the finite-size dependence of the mass gap in the 1D Ising model with a transverse field is studied by means of combined exact results and large-size numerical calculations. The well-known exponential form (for transverse fields smaller than the critical one) is only recovered in a limited range of parameters. A power-law behavior for the mass gap is even found in the case of antiperiodic boundary conditions.
Boundary conditions monitor the finite-size dependence of scaling functions for the Ising model. We study the low-temperature phase for the extremely anisotropic limit, or quantum version of the 2D classical Ising model, by means of combined exact results and large-size numerical calculations. The mass gap (inverse of correlation length) is the suitable order parameter for the finite system, and its finite-size behavior is studied as a function of variable boundary conditions. We find that the well-known exponential convergence to zero of the mass gap is only valid in a limited range of parameters; it strikingly changes into a power law for antiperiodic boundary conditions. We suggest that this puzzling phenomenon is associated with topological excitations.
I study the universal finite-size scaling function for the lowest gap of the quantum Ising chain with a one-parameter family of ``defect'' boundary conditions, which includes periodic, open, and antiperiodic boundary conditions as special cases. The universal behavior can be described by the Majorana fermion field theory in 1+11+11+1 dimensions, with the mass proportional to the deviation from the critical point. Although the field theory appears to be symmetric with respect to the inversion of the mass (Kramers-Wannier duality), the actual gap is asymmetric, reflecting the spontaneous symmetry breaking in the ordered phase which leads to the two-fold ground-state degeneracy in the thermodynamic limit. The asymptotic ground-state degeneracy in the ordered phase is realized by (i) formation of a bound state at the defect (except for the periodic/antiperiodic boundary condition) and (ii) effective reversal of the fermion number parity in one of the sectors (except for the open boundary condition), resulting in a rather nontrivial crossover ``phase'' diagram in the space of the boundary condition (defect strength) and mass.
Finite-size scaling functions are investigated both for the mean-square magnetization fluctuations and for the probability distribution of the magnetization in the one-dimensional Ising model. The scaling functions are evaluated in the limit of the temperature going to zero (T → 0), the size of the system going to infinity (N → ∞) while N[1 − tanh(J/kBT)] is kept finite (J being the nearest neighbour coupling). Exact calculations using various boundary conditions (periodic, antiperiodic, free, block) demonstrate explicitly how the scaling functions depend on the boundary conditions. We also show that the block (small part of a large system) magnetization distribution results are identical to those obtained for free boundary conditions.
Finite-size scaling functions are investigated both for the mean-square magnetization fluctuations and for the probability distribution of the magnetization in the one-dimensional Ising model. The scaling functions are evaluated in the limit of the temperature going to zero (T -> 0), the size of the system going to infinity (N -> oo) while N[1-tanh(J/k_BT)] is kept finite (J being the nearest neighbor coupling). Exact calculations using various boundary conditions (periodic, antiperiodic, free, block) demonstrate explicitly how the scaling functions depend on the boundary conditions. We also show that the block (small part of a large system) magnetization distribution results are identical to those obtained for free boundary conditions.