Effects of shape and boundary conditions on finite-size scaling functions for anisotropic ising systems

Roman Kotecký, Igor Medveď

Ian Graham Enting, J. Oitmaa

Kazuhisa Kaneda, Yutaka Okabe, Macoto Kikuchi

By use of Monte Carlo simulations, we study the finite-size scaling (FSS) functions for anisotropic three-dimensional (3D) Ising models of size L1 ×L1 ×aL1 (a: anisotropy parameter). Paying attention to the a dependence, we have shown that the FSS functions for the magnetization distribution function p(m) at the critical temperature change from a two-peak structure to a single-peak one by increasing or decreasing a from 1. We also study the effects of boundary conditions on the FSS functions for the anisotropic 3D Ising models.

Hendrik Hobrecht, Alfred Hucht

We present detailed calculations for the partition function and the free energy of the finite two-dimensional square lattice Ising model with periodic and antiperiodic boundary conditions, variable aspect ratio, and anisotropic couplings, as well as for the corresponding universal free energy finite-size scaling functions. Therefore, we review the dimer mapping, as well as the interplay between its topology and the different types of boundary conditions. As a central result, we show how both the finite system as well as the scaling form decay into contributions for the bulk, a characteristic finite-size part, and – if present – the surface tension, which emerges due to at least one antiperiodic boundary in the system. For the scaling limit we extend the proper finite-size scaling theory to the anisotropic case and show how this anisotropy can be absorbed into suitable scaling variables.

Boris Kastening

Anisotropy effects on the finite-size critical behavior of a two-dimensional Ising model on a general triangular lattice in an infinite-strip geometry with periodic, antiperiodic, and free boundary conditions (bc) in the finite direction are investigated. Exact results are obtained for the scaling functions of the finite-size contributions to the free energy density. With ξ(>) the largest and ξ(<) the smallest bulk correlation length at a given temperature near criticality, we find that the dependence of these functions on the ratio ξ(<)/ξ(>) and on the angle parametrizing the orientation of the correlation volume is of geometric nature. Since the scaling functions are independent of the particular microscopic realization of the anisotropy within the two-dimensional Ising model, our results provide a limited verification of universality. We explain our observations by considering finite-size scaling of free energy densities of general weakly anisotropic models on a d-dimensional film (i.e., in an L×∞(d-1) geometry) with bc in the finite direction that are invariant under a shear transformation relating the anisotropic and isotropic cases. This allows us to relate free energy scaling functions in the presence of an anisotropy to those of the corresponding isotropic system. We interpret our results as a simple and transparent case of anisotropic universality, where, compared to the isotropic case, scaling functions depend additionally on the shape and orientation of the correlation volume. We conjecture that this universality extends to cases where the geometry and/or the bc are not invariant under the shear transformation and argue in favor of validity of two-scale factor universality for weakly anisotropic systems.

Nevzat AKTEKİN