Phase transitions of a cluster Ising model.

Abstract

We study a cluster Ising model with multispin interactions which can be exactly solved in the framework of free fermions. The model can realize topological phases with any integer winding numbers; we study the critical and multicritical behaviors of the phase transitions between these topological phases. For the ordinary critical point, we find that the critical exponent that governs the divergence of the correlation length is ν=1, and the critical exponent that describes the scaling behaviors of the order parameter is β=ΔN_{w}/8, with ΔN_{w} the difference of the winding numbers of the two phases at the two sides of the critical point. However, these results are not applicable for some multicritical points which have much more complicated behaviors, such as path dependent scaling behaviors and quasicritical behaviors and so forth.