Estimates of the critical exponent β for the Potts model using a variational approximation

Abstract

The q-state Potts model on a square lattice is transformed into a staggered ice model. A variational principle for the largest eigenvalue of the transfer matrix of this model is used to develop a set of matrix equations. In the limit of these matrices becoming infinite, the equations determine the partition function and order parameter of the Potts model exactly. We have solved the equations numerically for finite matrices, obtaining estimates of these quantities and, as a result, the critical exponent β.