In theoretical physics

Theoretical physics

Theoretical physics is a branch of physics which employs mathematical models and abstractions of physics to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena...

, the minimal models are a very concrete well-defined type of rational conformal field theory

Rational conformal field theory

In theoretical physics, rational conformal field theory is a special type of conformal field theory with a finite number of conformal primaries. In these theories, all dimensions are rational numbers that can be computed from the consistency conditions of conformal field theory. The most famous...

. The individual minimal models are parameterized by two integers p,q that are moreover related for the unitary minimal models. The first element of the sequence of the minimal models is the critical behavior of the Ising model

Ising model

The Ising model is a mathematical model of ferromagnetism in statistical mechanics. The model consists of discrete variables called spins that can be in one of two states . The spins are arranged in a graph , and each spin interacts with its nearest neighbors...

, followed by the tricritical Ising model. There also exist supersymmetric minimal models.