The singular part of the finite-size free-energy density f(s) of the O(n) symmetric phi(4) field theory is calculated for confined geometries of linear size L with periodic boundary conditions in the large-n limit and with Dirichlet boundary conditions in one-loop order. We find that both a sharp cutoff and a subleading long-range interaction cause a leading nonuniversal L dependence of f(s) near T(c). This implies a significant restriction for the validity of universal finite-size scaling for model systems and real systems. For film geometry we predict a leading nonuniversal contribution to the critical Casimir force above the superfluid transition of (4)He.
The singular part of the finite-size free-energy density f(s) of the O(n) symmetric phi(4) field theory is calculated for confined geometries of linear size L with periodic boundary conditions in the large-n limit and with Dirichlet boundary conditions in one-loop order. We find that both a sharp cutoff and a subleading long-range interaction cause a leading nonuniversal L dependence of f(s) near T(c). This implies a significant restriction for the validity of universal finite-size scaling for model systems and real systems. For film geometry we predict a leading nonuniversal contribution to the critical Casimir force above the superfluid transition of (4)He.
The singular part of the finite-size free energy density fs of the O(n) symmetric ϕ4 field theory is calculated for confined geometries of linear size L with periodic boundary conditions in the large-N limit and with Dirichlet boundary conditions in one-loop order. We find that both a sharp cutoff and a subleading long-range interaction cause a non-universal L dependence of fs near Tc. For film geometry this implies a non-universal critical Casimir force with an algebraic L dependence that dominates the exponential finite-size scaling behavior above Tc for both periodic and Dirichlet boundary conditions.
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 .
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
Finite-size effects are investigated in the Gaussian model with isotropic and anisotropic short-range interactions in film geometry with nonperiodic boundary conditions (bc) above, at, and below the bulk critical temperature Tc. We have obtained exact results for the free energy and the Casimir force for antiperiodic, Neumann, Dirichlet, and Neumann-Dirichlet mixed bc in 1<d<4 dimensions. For the Casimir force, finite-size scaling is found to be valid for all bc. For the free energy, finite-size scaling is valid in 1<d<3 and 3<d<4 dimensions for antiperiodic, Neumann, and Dirichlet bc, but logarithmic deviations from finite-size scaling exist in d=3 dimensions for Neumann and Dirichlet bc. This is explained in terms of the borderline dimension d*=3 , where the critical exponent 1-α-ν=(d-3)∕2 of the Gaussian surface energy density vanishes. For Neumann-Dirichlet bc, finite-size scaling is strongly violated above Tc for 1<d<4 because of a cancelation of the leading scaling terms. For antiperiodic, Dirichlet, and Neumann-Dirichlet bc, a finite film critical temperature Tc,film(L)<Tc exists at finite film thickness L . Our results include an exact description of the dimensional crossover between the d -dimensional finite-size critical behavior near bulk Tc and the (d-1) -dimensional critical behavior near Tc,film(L). This dimensional crossover is illustrated for the critical behavior of the specific heat. Particular attention is paid to an appropriate representation of the free energy in the region Tc,film(L)≤T≤Tc. For 2<d<4 , the Gaussian results are renormalized and reformulated as one-loop contributions of the φ4 field theory at fixed dimension d and are then compared with the ε=4-d expansion results at ε=1 as well as with d=3 Monte Carlo data. For d=2 , the Gaussian results for the Casimir force scaling function are compared with those for the Ising model with periodic, antiperiodic, and free bc; unexpected exact relations are found between the Gaussian and Ising scaling functions. For both the d -dimensional Gaussian model and the two-dimensional Ising model it is shown that anisotropic couplings imply nonuniversal scaling functions of the Casimir force that depend explicitly on microscopic couplings. Our Gaussian results provide the basis for the investigation of finite-size effects of the mean spherical model in film geometry with nonperiodic bc above, at, and below the bulk critical temperature.
We study spatial anisotropy effects on the bulk and finite-size critical behavior of the O(n) symmetric anisotropic phi;{4} lattice model with periodic boundary conditions in a d -dimensional hypercubic geometry above, at, and below Tc. The absence of two-scale factor universality is discussed for the bulk order-parameter correlation function, the bulk scattering intensity, and for several universal bulk amplitude relations. The anisotropy parameters are observable by scattering experiments at Tc. For the confined system, renormalization-group theory within the minimal subtraction scheme at fixed dimension d for 2<d<4 is employed. In contrast to the epsilon=4-d expansion, the fixed- d finite-size approach keeps the exponential form of the order-parameter distribution function unexpanded. For the case of cubic symmetry and for n=1 , our perturbation approach yields excellent agreement with the Monte Carlo (MC) data for the finite-size amplitude of the free energy of the three-dimensional Ising model at Tc by Mon [Phys. Rev. Lett. 54, 2671 (1985)]. The epsilon expansion result is in less good agreement. Below Tc, a minimum of the scaling function of the excess free energy is found. We predict a measurable dependence of this minimum on the anisotropy parameters. The relative anisotropy effect on the free energy is predicted to be significantly larger than that on the Binder cumulant. Our theory agrees quantitatively with the nonmonotonic dependence of the Binder cumulant on the ferromagnetic next-nearest-neighbor (NNN) coupling of the two-dimensional Ising model found by MC simulations of Selke and Shchur [J. Phys. A 38, L739 (2005)]. Our theory also predicts a nonmonotonic dependence for small values of the antiferromagnetic NNN coupling and the existence of a Lifshitz point at a larger value of this coupling. The nonuniversal anisotropy effects in the finite-size scaling regime are predicted to satisfy a kind of restricted universality. The tails of the large- L behavior at T++Tc violate both finite-size scaling and universality even for isotropic systems as they depend on the bare four-point coupling of the phi4 theory, on the cutoff procedure, and on subleading long-range interactions.
We analyze finite-size effects in a L-d geometry above the upper critical dimension d=4 within the O(n) symmetric phi (4) theory on the basis of exact results for n-->infinity and one-loop results for n=1. We show that finite-size effects of the phi (4) continuum theory with a smooth (rather than sharp) cutoff belong to the same universality class as those of the phi (4) lattice theory. Our analysis predicts both universal and nonuniversal Features of finite-size effects. and resolves long-standing discrepancies in earlier analyses of Monte Carlo (MC) data for the d = 5 Ising model. Our estimates of two fundamental length scales xi (o) and I-o are confirmed by very recent MC data.