The transfer matrix

Julia M. Yeomans

Published May 7, 1992• 0 citations

Abstract

Abstract The aim of this chapter is to describe how transfer matrices can be used to solve one-dimensional classical spin models. The idea is to write down the partition function in terms of a matrix, the transfer matrix. The thermodynamic properties of the model are then wholly described by the eigenspectrum of the matrix. In particular the free energy per spin in the thermodynamic limit depends only on the largest eigenvalue and the correlation length only on the two largest eigenvalues through simple formulae.

DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780198517290.003.0005

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