We suggest a new mean-field method for studying the thermodynamic competition between magnetic and superconducting phases in a two-dimensional square lattice. A partition function is constructed by writing microscopic interactions that describe the exchange of density and spin fluctuations. A block structure dictated by spin, time-reversal, and bipartite symmetries is imposed on the single-particle Hamiltonian. The detailed dynamics of the interactions are neglected and replaced by a normal distribution of random matrix elements. The resulting partition function can be calculated exactly. The thermodynamic potential has a structure which depends only on the spectrum of quasiparticles propagating in fixed condensation fields, with coupling constants that can be related directly to the variances of the microscopic processes. The resulting phase diagram reveals a fixed number of phase topologies whose realizations depend on a single coupling parameter ratio, $\ensuremath{\alpha}$. Most phase topologies are realized for a broad range of values of $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ and can thus be considered robust with respect to moderate variations in the detailed description of the underlying interactions.
We suggest a new mean-field method for studying the thermodynamic competition between magnetic and superconducting phases in a two-dimensional square lattice. A partition function is constructed by writing microscopic interactions that describe the exchange of density and spin fluctuations. A block structure dictated by spin, time-reversal, and bipartite symmetries is imposed on the single-particle Hamiltonian. The detailed dynamics of the interactions are neglected and replaced by a normal distribution of random matrix elements. The resulting partition function can be calculated exactly. The thermodynamic potential has a structure which depends only on the spectrum of quasiparticles propagating in fixed condensation fields, with coupling constants that can be related directly to the variances of the microscopic processes. The resulting phase diagram reveals a fixed number of phase topologies whose realizations depend on a single coupling parameter ratio, \ensuremathα. Most phase topologies are realized for a broad range of values of \ensuremathα and can thus be considered robust with respect to moderate variations in the detailed description of the underlying interactions.
We describe a random matrix approach that can provide generic and readily soluble mean-field descriptions of the phase diagram for a variety of systems ranging from QCD to high-Tc materials. Instead of working from specific models, phase diagrams are constructed by averaging over the ensemble of theories that possesses the relevant symmetries of the problem. Although approximate in nature, this approach has a number of advantages. First, it can be useful in distinguishing generic features from model-dependent details. Second, it can help in understanding the ‘minimal’ number of symmetry constraints required to reproduce specific phase structures. Third, the robustness of predictions can be checked with respect to variations in the detailed description of the interactions. Finally, near critical points, random matrix models bear strong similarities to Ginsburg-Landau theories with the advantage of additional constraints inherited from the symmetries of the underlying interaction. These constraints can be helpful in ruling out certain topologies in the phase diagram. In this Key Issue, we illustrate the basic structure of random matrix models, discuss their strengths and weaknesses, and consider the kinds of system to which they can be applied. PACS numbers: 12.38 Aw, 74.25.Dw, 71.10.Fd 1.
The two-dimensional extended Hubbard model that includes a nearest-neighbor Heisenberg interaction is studied using a mean-field theory where quasiparticles are defined by an U(8) group of canonical transformations permitting both broken gauge, spin, and sublattice symmetry. The theory is further extended to incorporate a possible twist in the spin-quantization axis, so that the competition between superconductivity, charge density waves, and N\'eel and spiral antiferromagnetic order can be monitored within one single theory. Our results for positive Hubbard U and Heisenberg exchange J suggest that antiferromagnetic ordering dominates close to half-filling, while spiral states and d-wave superconductivity compete when doping is introduced. For moderate values of J, we find a phase diagram where a phase transition occurs from an antiferromagnet to a d-wave superconductor as doping is increased. A narrow region of (s+id)-wave superconductor is found for some values of J and U.
Despite its apparent simplicity, the two-dimensional Hubbard model for locally interacting fermions on a square lattice is widely considered as a promising approach for the understanding of Cooper pair formation in the quasi two-dimensional high-Tc cuprate materials. In the present work this model is investigated by means of the functional renormalization group, based on an exact flow equation for the effective average action. In addition to the fermionic degrees of freedom of the Hubbard Hamiltonian, bosonic fields are introduced which correspond to the different possible collective orders of the system, for example magnetism and superconductivity. The interactions between bosons and fermions are determined by means of the method of “rebosonization” (or “flowing bosonization”), which can be described as a continuous, scale-dependent Hubbard-Stratonovich transformation. This method allows an efficient parameterization of the momentumdependent effective two-particle interaction between fermions (four-point vertex), and it makes it possible to follow the flow of the running couplings into the regimes exhibiting spontaneous symmetry breaking, where bosonic fluctuations determine the types of order which are present on large length scales. Numerical results for the phase diagram are presented, which include the mutual influence of different, competing types of order.
The interplay and competition of magnetic and superconducting correlations in the weakly interacting two-dimensional Hubbard Model is investigated by means of the functional renormalization group. At zero temperature the flow of interactions in one-loop approximation evolves into a strong coupling regime at low energy scales, signalling the possible onset of spontaneous symmetry breaking. This is further analyzed by a mean-field treatment of the strong renormalized interactions which takes into account magnetic and superconducting order simultaneously. The effect of strong correlations on single-particle properties in the normal phase is studied by calculating the flow of the self-energy. 1
This thesis investigates exotic phases of matter in magnetic materials that present anisotropic properties in two dimensions. Using the microscopic spin Hamiltonians, the study addresses two problems: (i) the appearance of a novel class of magnetic excitations in the spectra of anisotropic magnets at zero temperature, and (ii) the quantum-to-classical correspondence of spins for the description of magnetic solids in the disordered phase above the critical temperature. Different analytical and numerical means are used to this purpose.In the first part, motivated by experimental observations of multipolar excitations in afamily of strongly-anisotropic van der Waals antiferromagnets, we have developed ageneral theory for these excitations as a distinct type of quasi-particles. We called themlongitudinal magnons. They appear in easy-axis magnetic materials, and are characterized by the quantum number Sz = ±2S. They can exist as coherent long-lived excitations for D ≥ |J|, where D and J are the typical single-ion and exchange coupling constants, respectively. Starting with the strong-coupling limit, this work presented different approaches to compute the dispersion of longitudinal magnons. First, a mapping to an effective spin-1/2 model was performed and illustrated for several lattice spin models: the honeycomb-lattice zigzag antiferromagnet and the square-lattice ferro- and antiferromagnet. The excitation energy was derived for different spin values S = 1, 3/2, 2and 5/2. Second, a thorough study explored the S = 1 anisotropic square-lattice, wherethe analytical results of the effective model are compared to the multi-boson spin-wavetheory, the linked-cluster calculations in antiferromagnetic coupling J > 0, and the exactsolution of the two-magnon problem in ferromagnetic coupling J < 0. In the limit of largeJ/D, the longitudinal magnons start to overlap with the multi-magnon continuum, andtheir finite lifetime can be computed using the multi-boson theory, which is specificallyshown for two-magnon decay processes in S = 1. Moreover, critical values of J/D forthe stability of longitudinal magnons are obtained along high-symmetry lines of the Brillouin zone. Third, we investigated the appearance and condensation of the longitudinal magnons in triangular S = 1 antiferromagnets under high magnetic field. As suggested by recent experiments on a candidate material, a spin nematic phase may appear upon condensation of the multipolar excitations, opening the way for realizations of new phases of matter in classically-ordered magnets.In the second part, the correspondence between quantum and classical spins is investigated for spin Hamiltonians at finite temperature. Given a model of quantum spins, it is useful to determine the classical model that best describes its thermodynamics, which is of interest for semi-classical analyses, e.g. by classical Monte Carlo methods. Based on high-temperature series expansions, we established the scaling laws of the different microscopic constants in a quantum spin model, involving quadratic and biquadratic exchange interactions, single-ion anisotropy and the Zeeman energy. We showed that quantum corrections to the thermodynamic quantities are power series in S(S + 1). Subsequently, the findings were applied to numerically determine the phase transition temperature in several ferro- and antiferromagnetic compounds, using classical Monte Carlo simulations. To this aim, the lattice spin models were constructed with microscopic coupling constants from the literature, and the transition temperatures were compared to the experimental values.This illuminates complex collective magnetic behaviors in different models and materials.
By subdividing a 2d square lattice into plaquettes containing 4 lattice sites each, the Hubbard Hamiltonian is reformulated in terms of different "colored" fermion species. This makes it possible to describe e.g. antiferromagnetic order or d-wave superconductivity in terms of expectation values of composite scalar fields. A suitable mean field approximation indeed reproduces qualitatively the measured phase diagram and shows a competition between phases with antiferromagnetic ordering and dx2-y2-superconductivity at low temperatures.