Past exam of the theoretical physics major option course of the University of Oxford / 2015 / 4 / a / Solution

Let $\beta =(k_{B}T{)}^{-1}$, and sum over all $2^N$ configurations satisfying the periodic identification. The canonical partition function and finite-size free energy per site areThe plus sign multiplying $J$ in the energy means that $J>0$ favors opposite neighboring spins: this is an antiferromagnetic Ising model. Even $N$ permits an alternating configuration to close without frustration. The finite-size formula does not require taking a thermodynamic limit; that limit is taken only after evaluating $Z_N$.