History of the Lenz-Ising Model

Many physico-chemical systems can be represented more or less accurately by a lattice arrangement of molecules with nearest-neighbor interactions. The simplest and most popular version of this theory is the so-called "Ising model," discussed by Ernst Ising in 1925 but suggested earlier (1920) by Wilhelm Lenz.

Major events in the subsequent history of the Lenz-Ising model are reviewed, including early approximate methods of solution, Onsager's exact result for the two-dimensional model, the use of the mathematically equivalent "lattice gas" model to study gas-liquid and liquid-solid phase transitions, and recent progress in determining the singularities of thermodynamic and magnetic properties at the critical point. Not only is there a wide range of possible physical applications of the model, there is also an urgent need for the application of advanced mathematical techniques in order to establish its exact properties, especially in the neighborhood of phase transitions where approximate methods are unreliable.