The critical properties of the two-dimensional xy model

The critical properties of the xy model with nearest-neighbour interactions on a two-dimensional square lattice are studied by a renormalization group technique. The mean magnetization is zero for all temperatures, and the transition is from a state of finite to one of infinite susceptibility. The correlation length is found to diverge faster than any power of the deviation from the critical temperature. Analogues of the strong scaling laws are derived and the critical exponents, eta , and delta , are the same as for the two-dimensional Ising model.