Direct Monte Carlo measurement of the surface tension in Ising models

(Received 9 September 1992, accepted in final form 27 October 1992)

Abstract
I present a cluster Monte Carlo algorithm that gives direct access to the interface free energy of Ising models. The basic idea is to simulate an ensemble that consists of both configurations with periodic and with antiperiodic boundary conditions. A cluster algorithm is provided that efficiently updates this joint ensemble. The interface tension is obtained from the ratio of configurations with periodic and antiperiodic boundary conditions, respectively. The method is tested for the 3-dimensional Ising model.