Use the infinite translation-invariant chain first. Set and Fourier-transform the exchange matrix:
For positive this is strictly positive. Its reciprocal is a linear polynomial in , proving the nearest-neighbour form of the exponentially coupled Ising inverse kernel:
Expanding the squared difference gives
Since , substitution into part (a) yields
This is the exact bulk identity. A finite periodic version uses the periodized coupling ; its discrete Fourier symbols are the same and the squared differences wrap around the ring. Simply truncating the exponential at open ends gives a different inverse at those ends.
For an open chain of sites with the literal finite matrix , the open-chain endpoint corrections for an exponential Ising kernel are explicit:
The inverse has endpoint diagonal entries , interior diagonal entries and adjacent entries . Multiplication by the original geometric matrix verifies every entry. These boundary terms affect boundary amplitudes, but not the bulk free-energy density in the thermodynamic limit at fixed .
Work first on the infinite chain, or with a periodized exponential kernel. Put and use lattice Fourier momentum . Summing the geometric series gives the exponentially coupled Ising inverse kernel:
Thus
Although the original kernel is long-ranged, its inverse contains only a constant and a cosine and therefore is nearest-neighbor. Fourier orthogonality gives
Substitution into part (a) yields
This exact bulk identity does not require replacing by ; small is used later to motivate a smooth continuum field.
For a finite open chain the inverse has off-diagonal entries , interior diagonal entries and endpoint diagonal entries . Accordingly the displayed homogeneous potential acquires the endpoint correction . These boundary terms do not change the bulk thermodynamic conclusion. Stating infinite-chain or periodized boundary conditions is necessary if the translation-invariant expression is asserted exactly.