Critical behavior of the spin correlation function in the Ashkin-Teller and Baxter models with a line defect.

We consider the critical spin-spin correlation function of the Ashkin-Teller and Baxter models. By using path-integral techniques in the continuum description of these models in terms of fermion fields, we show that the correlation decays with distance with the same critical exponent as the Ising model. The procedure is straightforwardly extended to take into account the presence of a line defect. Thus we find that in these altered models the critical index of the magnetic correlation on the defect coincides with the one of the defective two-dimensional Ising or Bariev model.