We consider two-dimensional Ising models with randomly distributed ferromagnetic bonds and study the local critical behavior at defect lines by extensive Monte Carlo simulations. Both for ladder and chain type defects, non-universal critical behavior is observed: the critical exponent of the defect magnetization is found to be a continuous function of the strength of the defect coupling. Analyzing corresponding stability conditions, we obtain new evidence that the critical exponent
ν of the bulk correlation length of the random Ising model does not depend on dilution, i.e.
ν=1.
The Ising model in two dimensions with special toroidal boundary conditions is analyzed. These boundary conditions, which we call duality-twisted boundary conditions, may be interpreted as inserting a specific defect line ("seam") in the system, along noncontractible circles of the cylinder, before closing it into a torus. We derive exact expressions for the eigenvalues of a transfer matrix for the critical ferromagnetic Ising model on the M×N square lattice wrapped on the torus with a specific defect line. As a result we have obtained analytically the partition function for the Ising model with such boundary conditions. In the case of infinitely long cylinders of circumference L with duality-twisted boundary conditions we obtain the asymptotic expansion of the free energy and the inverse correlation lengths. We find that the ratio of subdominant finite-size correction terms in the asymptotic expansion of the free energy and the inverse correlation lengths should be universal. We verify such universal behavior in the framework of a perturbating conformal approach by calculating the universal structure constant C_{n1n} for descendent states generated by the operator product expansion of the primary fields. For such states the calculations of an universal structure constants is a difficult task, since it involves knowledge of the four-point correlation function, which in general is not fixed by conformal invariance except for some particular cases, including the Ising model.
We discuss the universality classes of the local critical behavior of a bulk system near a free surface and near an internal plane of defects. A phase diagram and plausible renormalization-group flow properties for a general model which encompasses both cases are described qualitatively. Several of the crossover exponents are related to bulk critical exponents or semi-infinite surface critical exponents. The picture which is proposed accomodates systems with nonuniversal local critical exponents near a plane of defects, such as the two-dimensional Ising model near a defect line, in a natural way. Necessary conditions for nonuniversal local critical exponents and for logarithmic corrections are derived. The singularities of the energy densities near a free surface and near an internal defect plane on approaching the bulk critical temperature are analyzed.
The critical two-dimensional classical Ising model on the square lattice has two topological conformal defects: the
Z2 symmetry defect ${D}_{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}$ and the Kramers-Wannier duality defect ${D}_{\ensuremath{\sigma}}$. These two defects implement antiperiodic boundary conditions and a more exotic form of twisted boundary conditions, respectively. On the torus, the partition function
ZD of the critical Ising model in the presence of a topological conformal defect
D is expressed in terms of the scaling dimensions ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}$ and conformal spins ${s}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}$ of a distinct set of primary fields (and their descendants, or conformal towers) of the Ising conformal field theory. This characteristic conformal data ${{{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}},{s}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}}}_{D}$ can be extracted from the eigenvalue spectrum of a transfer matrix
MD for the partition function
ZD. In this paper, we investigate the use of tensor network techniques to both represent and coarse grain the partition functions ${Z}_{{D}_{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}}$ and ${Z}_{{D}_{\ensuremath{\sigma}}}$ of the critical Ising model with either a symmetry defect ${D}_{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}$ or a duality defect ${D}_{\ensuremath{\sigma}}$. We also explain how to coarse grain the corresponding transfer matrices ${M}_{{D}_{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}}$ and ${M}_{{D}_{\ensuremath{\sigma}}}$, from which we can extract accurate numerical estimates of ${{{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}},{s}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}}}_{{D}_{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}}$ and ${{{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}},{s}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}}}_{{D}_{\ensuremath{\sigma}}}$. Two key ingredients of our approach are (i) coarse graining of the defect
D, which applies to any (i.e., not just topological) conformal defect and yields a set of associated scaling dimensions ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}$, and (ii) construction and coarse graining of a generalized translation operator using a local unitary transformation that moves the defect, which only exist for topological conformal defects and yields the corresponding conformal spins ${s}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}$.
The critical Ising model in two dimensions with a specific defect line is analyzed to deliver the first exact solution with twisted boundary conditions. We derive exact expressions for the eigenvalues of the transfer matrix and obtain analytically the partition function and the asymptotic expansions of the free energy and inverse correlation lengths for an infinitely long cylinder of circumference L x . We find that finite-size corrections to scaling are of the form
ak/Lx2k−1 for the free energy f and
bk(p)/Lx2k−1 and
ck(p)/Lx2k−1 for inverse correlation lengths
xip−1 and
xiL−p−1 , respectively, with integer values of k. By exact evaluation we find that the amplitude ratios
bk(p)/ak and
ck(p)/ak are universal and verify this universal behavior using a perturbative conformal approach.