Monte Carlo Calculation of the Spin-Stiffness of the Two-Dimensional Heisenberg Model

Using a collective-mode Monte Carlo method (the Wolff-Swendsen-Wang algorithm), we compute the spin-stiffness of the two-dimensional classical Heisenberg model. We show that it is the relevant physical quantity to investigate the behaviour of the model in the very low temperature range inaccessible to previous studies based on correlation length and susceptibility calculations.