Statistical Mechanics of the Sine-Gordon Equation

1986

We give two fundamental methods for evaluation of classical free energies of all the integrable models admitting soliton solutions; the sine-Gordon equation is one example. Periodic boundary conditions impose integral equations for allowed phonon and soliton momenta. From these, generalized Bethe-Ansatz and functional-integration methods using action-angle variables follow. Results for free energies coincide, and coincide with those that we find by transfer-integral methods. Extension to the quantum case, and quantum Bethe Ansatz, on the lines to be reported elsewhere for the sinh-Gordon equation, is indicated.