Simulation of an ensemble with varying magnetic field: A numerical determination of the order-order interface tension in the D=2 Ising model.

Abstract

In analogy with a recently proposed multicanonical ensemble we introduce an ensemble where the partition function is simulated with a term in the action containing a varying magnetic field. Using this ensemble we demonstrate on lattices with periodic boundary conditions that it is possible to enhance the appearance of order-order interfaces by many orders of magnitude. To perform a stringent test of the method we consider the D=2 Ising model at \ensuremath{\beta}=0.5 and simulate square lattices up to size 100\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}100. By a finite-size scaling analysis, the order-order interface tension per unit area is obtained. Our best infinite-volume extrapolation is in excellent agreement with Onsager's exact result.