Interface Pinning and Finite-Size Effects in the 2D Ising Model

We apply new techniques developed in a previous paper to the study of some surface effects in the 2D Ising model. We examine in particular the pinning-depinning transition. The results are valid for all subcritical temperatures. By duality we obtained new finite size effects on the asymptotic behaviour of the two-point correlation function above the critical temperature. The key-point of the analysis is to obtain good concentration properties of the measure defined on the random lines giving the high-temperature representation of the two-point correlation function, as a consequence of the sharp triangle inequality: let tau(x) be the surface tension of an interface perpendicular to x; then for any x,y tau(x)+tau(y)-tau(x+y) >= 1/kappa(||x||+||y||-||x+y||), where kappa is the maximum curvature of the Wulff shape and ||x|| the Euclidean norm of x.Comment: 34 pages, Late

Random path representation and sharp correlations asymptotics at high-temperatures

We recently introduced a robust approach to the derivation of sharp asymptotic formula for correlation functions of statistical mechanics models in the high-temperature regime. We describe its application to the nonperturbative proof of Ornstein-Zernike asymptotics of 2-point functions for self-avoiding walks, Bernoulli percolation and ferromagnetic Ising models. We then extend the proof, in the Ising case, to arbitrary odd-odd correlation functions. We discuss the fluctuations of connection paths (invariance principle), and relate the variance of the limiting process to the geometry of the equidecay profiles. Finally, we explain the relation between these results from Statistical Mechanics and their counterparts in Quantum Field Theory

Ornstein-Zernike Theory for the finite range Ising models above T_c

We derive precise Ornstein-Zernike asymptotic formula for the decay of the two-point function in the general context of finite range Ising type models on Z^d. The proof relies in an essential way on the a-priori knowledge of the strict exponential decay of the two-point function and, by the sharp characterization of phase transition due to Aizenman, Barsky and Fernandez, goes through in the whole of the high temperature region T > T_c. As a byproduct we obtain that for every T > T_c, the inverse correlation length is an analytic and strictly convex function of direction.Comment: 36 pages, 5 figure

Winterbottom Construction for Finite Range Ferromagnetic Models: An L_1 Approach

We provide a rigorous microscopic derivation of the thermodynamic description of equilibrium crystal shapes in the presence of a substrate, first studied by Winterbottom. We consider finite range ferromagnetic Ising models with pair interactions in dimensions greater or equal to 3, and model the substrate by a finite-range boundary magnetic field acting on the spins close to the bottom wall of the box

Some rigorous results on semiflexible polymers, I: Free and confined polymers

We introduce a class of models of semiflexible polymers. The latter are characterized by a strong rigidity, the correlation length associated with the gradient–gradient correlations, called the persistence length, being of the same order as the polymer length. We determine the macroscopic scaling limit, from which we deduce bounds on the free energy of a polymer confined inside a narrow tube

A Note on the Decay of Correlations Under δ\delta-Pinning

We prove that for a class of massless $\nabla\phi$ interface models on \Ztwo an introduction of an arbitrary small pinning self-potential leads to exponential decay of correlation, or, in other words, to creation of mass.Comment: 9 page

A Note on Wetting Transition for Gradient Fields

We prove existence of a wetting transition for two types of gradient fields: 1) Continuous SOS models in any dimension and 2) Massless Gaussian model in two dimensions. Combined with a recent result showing the absence of such a transition for Gaussian models above two dimensions by Bolthausen et al, this shows in particular that absolute-value and quadratic interactions can give rise to completely different behaviors.Comment: 6 pages, latex2

Scaling Limit of the Prudent Walk

We describe the scaling limit of the nearest neighbour prudent walk on the square lattice, which performs steps uniformly in directions in which it does not see sites already visited. We show that the scaling limit is given by the process Z(u) = s_1 theta^+(3u/7) e_1 + s_2 theta^-(3u/7) e_2, where e_1, e_2 is the canonical basis, theta^+(t), resp. theta^-(t), is the time spent by a one-dimensional Brownian motion above, resp. below, 0 up to time t, and s_1, s_2 are two random signs. In particular, the asymptotic speed of the walk is well-defined in the L^1-norm and equals 3/7.Comment: Better exposition, stronger claim, simpler description of the limiting process; final version, to appear in Electr. Commun. Probab

Pinning by a sparse potential

We consider a directed polymer interacting with a diluted pinning potential restricted to a line. We characterize explicitely the set of disorder configurations that give rise to localization of the polymer. We study both relevant cases of dimension 1+1 and 1+2. We also discuss the case of massless effective interface models in dimension 2+1.Comment: to appear in Stochastic Processes and their Application