We consider the problem of two-point resistance in a resistor network previously studied by one of us (Wu 2004 J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 37 6653). By formulating the problem differently, we obtain a new expression for the two-point resistance between two arbitrary nodes which is simpler and can be easier to use in practice. We apply the new formulation to the cobweb resistor network to obtain the resistance between two nodes in the network. Particularly, our results prove a recently proposed conjecture on the resistance between the center node and a node on the network boundary. Our analysis also solves the spanning tree problem on the cobweb network.

Considerable progress has recently been made in the development of techniques to exactly determine two-point resistances in networks of various topologies. In particular, two types of method have emerged. One is based on potentials and the evaluation of eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the Laplacian matrix associated with the network or its minors. The second method is based on a recurrence relation associated with the distribution of currents in the network. Here, these methods are compared and used to determine the resistance distances between any two nodes of a network with topology of a hammock.

The critical two-dimensional Ising model is studied with four types boundary conditions: free, fixed ferromagnetic, fixed antiferromagnetic, and fixed double antiferromagnetic. Using bond propagation algorithms with surface fields, we obtain the free energy, internal energy, and specific heat numerically on square lattices with a square shape and various combinations of the four types of boundary conditions. The calculations are carried out on the square lattices with size $N\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}N$ and $30<N<1000$. The numerical data are analyzed with finite-size scaling. The bulk, edge, and corner terms are extracted very accurately. The exact results are conjectured for the corner logarithmic term in the free energy, the edge logarithmic term in the internal energy, and the corner logarithmic term in the specific heat. The corner logarithmic terms in the free energy agree with the conformal field theory very well.

We propose a method for the detection of a dynamical Casimir effect. Assuming that the Casimir photons are being generated in an electromagnetic cavity with a vibrating wall (dynamical Casimir...