Numerical confirmation of analytic predictions for the finite volume mass gap of the XY-model

Recent exact predictions for the massive scaling limit of the two dimensional XY-model are based on the equivalence with the sine-Gordon theory and include detailed results on the finite size behavior. The so-called step-scaling function of the mass gap is simulated with very high precision and found consistent with analytic results in the continuum limit. To come to this conclusion, an also predicted form of a logarithmic decay of lattice artifacts was essential to use for the extrapolation.