Hunting for the central charge of the Virasoro algebra: six- and eight-state spin models

Abstract

In two dimensions conformal invariance has important implications for the finite-size scaling properties of the spectra of transfer matrices and quantum chains at the critical point. Some relations between the finite-size scaling amplitudes are obtained which can be used as a test of conformal invariance and implicitly to distinguished between second-order and first-order phase transitions. The numerical values of the scaling amplitudes give the scale dimensions of various operators. Six- and eight-state self-dual quantum chains with cubic symmetries are considered at the critical point for three values of the coupling constant. The systems are found to be conformal invariant and estimates for several critical exponents are obtained. Based on the approximate values of the critical exponent one tries to find the values of the corresponding central charges of the Virasoro algebras.