Phase diagrams and solvation forces of a uniaxial ferromagnet in a slit--the double-parabola approach

We obtain the phase diagrams of a uniaxial ferromagnet enclosed in a slit and analyse the properties of the solvation forces acting between the slit walls. Our analysis is based on the mean-field theory applied to the double-parabola Hamiltonian for a uniaxial ferromagnet in a slit, which allows us to derive several results in analytic form. In particular, the Kelvin law and the law describing the influence of the slit width on the position of the delocalization transition as compared to the wetting transition are derived and the corresponding critical exponent is evaluated. The influence of the thermodynamic state of the system on the properties of the solvation forces, in particular their discontinuous behaviour at coexistence lines, is discussed.