The two dimensional XY model at the transition temperature: A high precision Monte Carlo study

Abstract

We study the classical XY (plane rotator) model at the Kosterlitz-Thouless phase transition. We simulate the model using the single cluster algorithm on square lattices of a linear size up to L=2048.We derive the finite size behaviour of the second moment correlation length over the lattice size xi_{2nd}/L at the transition temperature. This new prediction and the analogous one for the helicity modulus are confronted with our Monte Carlo data. This way beta_{KT}=1.1199 is confirmed as inverse transition temperature. Finally we address the puzzle of logarithmic corrections of the magnetic susceptibility chi at the transition temperature.

Monte Carlo results for xi/L in table 1 and 2 corrected. Due to a programming error,these numbers were wrong by about a factor 1+1/L^2. Correspondingly the fits with L_min=64 and 128 given in table 5 and 6 are changed by little.The central results of the paper are not affected. Wrong sign in eq.(52) corrected. Appendix extended