The partition function of interfaces from the Nambu-Goto effective string theory

Abstract

We consider the Nambu-Goto bosonic string model as a description of the physics of interfaces. By using the standard covariant quantization of the bosonic string, we derive an exact expression for the partition function in dependence of the geometry of the interface. Our expression, obtained by operatorial methods, resums the loop expansion of the NG model in the "physical gauge" computed perturbatively by functional integral methods in the literature. Recently, very accurate Monte Carlo data for the interface free energy in the 3d Ising model became avaliable. Our proposed expression compares very well to the data for values of the area sufficiently large in terms of the inverse string tension. This pattern is expected on theoretical grounds and agrees with previous analyses of other observables in the Ising model.