Critical behavior of the Ising model on the four-dimensional cubic lattice

In this paper we investigate the nature of the singularity of the Ising model of the four-dimensional cubic lattice. It is rigorously known that the specific heat has critical exponent alpha=0 but a nonrigorous field-theory argument predicts an unbounded specific heat with a logarithmic singularity at Tc. We find that within the given accuracy the canonical ensemble data are consistent both with a logarithmic singularity and a bounded specific heat but that the microcanonical ensemble lends stronger support to a bounded specific heat. Our conclusion is that either much larger system sizes are needed for Monte Carlo studies of this model in four dimensions or the field-theory prediction of a logarithmic singularity is wrong.