Groupe de Physique Statistique

The thesis presents a study of the two-dimensional XY model exposed to such realistic conditions as the presence of lattice imperfections (nonmagnetic impurities) and lattice finiteness. Both features are typical for experimentally accessible magnetic materials and ask for theoretical description. We also have explored the low-temperature behaviour of a finite two-dimensional Heisenberg model and found behaviour similar to that of the 2D XY model. We have used both analytical and computer experiment approaches to tackle the problem. The essential output of the work consists of: (a) estimation of the non-universal exponent of the power law decay of the pair correlation function of a diluted 2D XY model at low temperature as a function of dilution, analytically in the spin-wave approximation, and in the Monte Carlo simulations using the Wolff algorithm; (b) analytical estimation of the corresponding exponent of the 2D Heisenberg model in the low-temperature limit for the finite lattice size and its comparison to the Monte Carlo simulations; (c) evaluation of the form of interaction between nonmagnetic impurities and topological defects within the Villain model as well as in the Kosterlitz-Thouless model, and analytical prediction of the critical temperature reduction made on the basis of this interaction; (d) Monte Carlo investigation of the form of the residual magnetization probability distribution in a finite system in presence of nonmagnetic disorder (dilution). We found all our analytical predictions in quite well agreement with the Monte Carlo simulation results as well as with other researches of the similar problems.