The Ising Model on $\mathbb S^2$

Abstract

We define a 2-dimensional Ising model on a triangulated sphere, $\mathbb S^2$, designed to approach the exact conformal field theory (CFT) in the continuum limit. Surprisingly, the derivation leads to a set of geometric constraints that the lattice field theory must satisfy. Monte Carlo simulations are in agreement with the exact Ising CFT on $\mathbb S^2$. We discuss the inherent benefits of using non-uniform simplicial lattices and how these methods may be generalized for use with other quantum theories on curved manifolds.