Critical properties of a dilute O(n) model on the kagome lattice

A critical dilute O(n) model on the kagome lattice is investigated analytically and numerically. We employ a number of exact equivalences which, in a few steps, link the critical O(n) spin model on the kagome lattice to the exactly solvable critical q-state Potts model on the honeycomb lattice with q=(n+1)2. The intermediate steps involve the random-cluster model on the honeycomb lattice and a fully packed loop model with loop weight n'=sqrt(q) and a dilute loop model with loop weight n , both on the kagome lattice. This mapping enables the determination of a branch of critical points of the dilute O(n) model, as well as some of its critical properties. These properties differ from those of the generic O(n) critical points. For n=0, our model reproduces the known universal properties of the theta point describing the collapse of a polymer. For n not equal 0 it displays a line of multicritical points, with the same universal behavior as a branch of critical points that was found earlier in a dilute O(n) model on the square lattice. These findings are supported by a finite-size-scaling analysis in combination with transfer-matrix calculations.