Correlation Functions by Cluster Variation Method for Ising Model with NN, NNN, and Plaquette Interactions

We consider a procedure for calculating the pair correlation function in the context of cluster variation methods (CVM). As specific cases, we study the pair correlation function in the paramagnetic phase of the Ising model with nearest neighbors, next to nearest neighbors, and plaquette interactions in two and three dimensions. In presence of competing interactions, the so-called disorder line separates in the paramagnetic phase a region where the correlation function has the usual exponential behavior from a region where the correlation has an oscillating, exponentially damped behavior. In two dimensions, using the plaquette as the maximal cluster of the CVM approximation, we calculate the phase diagram and the disorder line for a case where a comparison is possible with known results for the eight-vertex model. In three dimensions, in the CVM cube approximation, we calculate the phase diagram and the disorder line in some cases of particular interest. The relevance of our results for experimental systems like mixtures of oil, water, and surfactant is also discussed.