Scaling of solvation force in two-dimensional Ising strips

The solvation force for two-dimensional Ising strips is calculated via exact diagonalization of the transfer matrix in two cases: the symmetric case corresponds to identical surface fields and the antisymmetric case to exactly opposite surface fields. In the symmetric case the solvation force is always negative (attractive), while in the antisymmetric case the solvation force is positive (repulsive) at high temperatures and negative at low temperatures. It changes sign close to the critical wetting temperature characterizing the semi-infinite system. The properties of the solvation force are discussed, and the scaling function describing its dependence on temperature, surface field, and strip's width is proposed.