Transition in the two-dimensional step model: A Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in disguise

Evidence for a Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in the two-dimensional (2D) step model is obtained from Monte Carlo determinations of the helicity modulus. It is argued that the free energy of a single vortex at the center of the system depends logarithmically on the system size in spite of the fact that the spin interaction is not harmonic for small differences in the spin angles. We conclude that this is the reason for the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in the 2D step model and that the harmonic spin interaction not is a necessary requirement.