In this book, the thermodynamic observables of the classical one- and
two-dimensional ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic Ising models on a
square lattice are simulated, especially at the phase transitions (if
applicable) using the classical Monte Carlo algorithm of Metropolis.
Finite size effects and the influence of an external magnetic field are
described. The critical temperature of the 2d ferromagnetic Ising model
is obtained using finite size scaling. Before presenting the Ising
model, the basic concepts of statistical mechanics are recapped.
Furthermore, the general principles of Monte Carlo methods are
explained.