Stable Degeneracies for Ising Models

Abstract

We introduce and consider the notion of stable degeneracies of translation invariant energy functions for finite Ising models. By this term we mean the lack of injectivity that cannot be lifted by changing the interaction. We show that besides the symmetry-induced degeneracies, related to spin flip, translation and reflection, there exist additional stable degeneracies, due to more subtle symmetries. One such symmetry is the one of the Singer group of a finite projective plane. Others are described by combinatorial relations akin to trace identities. Our results resemble traits of the length spectrum for closed geodesics on a Riemannian surface of constant negative curvature. There stable degeneracy is defined w.r.t. Teichm\"uller space as parameter space.