A streamlined derivation of the Kac-Ward formula for the planar Ising model's
partition function is presented and applied in relating the kernel of the
Kac-Ward matrices' inverse with the correlation functions of the Ising model's
order-disorder correlation functions. A shortcut for both is facilitated by the
Bowen-Lanford graph zeta function relation. The Kac-Ward relation is also
extended here to produce a family of non planar interactions on Z2
for which the partition function and the order-disorder correlators are
solvable at special values of the coupling parameters/temperature.Comment: An extension of the Kac-Ward determinantal formula beyond planarity
was added (Section 5). To appear in Journal of Statistical Physic