English

A numerical method for determining the interface free energy

Statistical Mechanics 2011-11-28 v2 High Energy Physics - Lattice

Abstract

We propose a general method (based on the Wang-Landau algorithm) to compute numerically free energies that are obtained from the logarithm of the ratio of suitable partition functions. As an application, we determine with high accuracy the order-order interface tension of the four-state Potts model in three dimensions on cubic lattices of linear extension up to L=56. The infinite volume interface tension is then extracted at each beta from a fit of the finite volume interface tension to a known universal behavior. A comparison of the order-order and order-disorder interface tension at the critical value of beta provides a clear numerical evidence of perfect wetting.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1107.1637,
  title  = {A numerical method for determining the interface free energy},
  author = {A. Hietanen and B. Lucini},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1107.1637},
  year   = {2011}
}

Comments

5 pages, 7 figures. Added section on convergence of the algorithm, some clarifications and extra references. Version published on Phys. Rev. E

R2 v1 2026-06-21T18:34:04.039Z