arXiv:0806.3192 · Physical Review A
Semiclassical analysis of spin systems near critical energies
Pedro Ribeiro, Thierry Paul
Abstract
The spectral properties of su(2) Hamiltonians are studied for energies near the critical classical energy ${\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{c}$ for which the corresponding classical dynamics presents hyperbolic points. A general method leading to an algebraic relation for eigenvalues in the vicinity of ${\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{c}$ is obtained in the thermodynamic limit, when the semiclassical parameter ${n}^{\ensuremath{-}1}={(2s)}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ goes to zero (where $s$ is the total spin of the system). Two applications of this method are given and compared with numerics. Matrix elements of observables, computed between states with energy near ${\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{c}$, are also computed and shown to be in agreement with the numerical results.