We study the ground-state phases of the S =1/2 Heisenberg quantum antiferromagnet on the spatially anisotropic triangular lattice (SATL) and on the square lattice with up to next-next-nearest-neighbor coupling (the J 1 J 2 J 3 model), making use of Takahashi's modified spin-wave (MSW) theory supplemented by ordering vector optimization. We compare the MSW results with exact diagonalization and projected-entangled-pair-states calculations, demonstrating their qualitative and quantitative reliability. We find that the MSW theory correctly accounts for strong quantum effects on the ordering vector of the magnetic phases of the models under investigation: in particular, collinear magnetic order is promoted at the expense of non-collinear (spiral) order, and several spiral states that are stable at the classical level disappear from the quantum phase diagram. Moreover, collinear states and non-collinear ones are never connected continuously, but they are separated by parameter regions in which the MSW theory breaks down, signaling the possible appearance of a non-magnetic ground state. In the case of the SATL, a large breakdown region appears also for weak couplings between the chains composing the lattice, suggesting the possible occurrence of a large non-magnetic region continuously connected with the spin-liquid state of the uncoupled chains. This shows that the MSW theory is—despite its apparent simplicity—a versatile tool for finding candidate regions in the case of spin-liquid phases, which are among prime targets for relevant quantum simulations.
We study the ground-state phases of the S =1/2 Heisenberg quantum antiferromagnet on the spatially anisotropic triangular lattice (SATL) and on the square lattice with up to next-next-nearest-neighbor coupling (the J 1 J 2 J 3 model), making use of Takahashi's modified spin-wave (MSW) theory supplemented by ordering vector optimization. We compare the MSW results with exact diagonalization and projected-entangled-pair-states calculations, demonstrating their qualitative and quantitative reliability. We find that the MSW theory correctly accounts for strong quantum effects on the ordering vector of the magnetic phases of the models under investigation: in particular, collinear magnetic order is promoted at the expense of non-collinear (spiral) order, and several spiral states that are stable at the classical level disappear from the quantum phase diagram. Moreover, collinear states and non-collinear ones are never connected continuously, but they are separated by parameter regions in which the MSW theory breaks down, signaling the possible appearance of a non-magnetic ground state. In the case of the SATL, a large breakdown region appears also for weak couplings between the chains composing the lattice, suggesting the possible occurrence of a large non-magnetic region continuously connected with the spin-liquid state of the uncoupled chains. This shows that the MSW theory is—despite its apparent simplicity—a versatile tool for finding candidate regions in the case of spin-liquid phases, which are among prime targets for relevant quantum simulations.
We investigate a system of frustrated hardcore bosons, modeled by an XY antiferromagnet on the spatially anisotropic triangular lattice, using Takahashi's modified spin-wave (MSW) theory. In particular, we implement ordering vector optimization on the ordered reference state of MSW theory, which leads to significant improvement of the theory and accounts for quantum corrections to the classically ordered state. The MSW results at zero temperature compare favorably to exact diagonalization (ED) and projected entangled-pair state (PEPS) calculations. The resulting zero-temperature phase diagram includes a one-dimensional (1D) quasi-ordered phase, a 2D Néel ordered phase and a 2D spiraling ordered phase. Strong indications coming from the ED and PEPS calculations, as well as from the breakdown of MSW theory, suggest that the various ordered or quasi-ordered phases are separated by spin-liquid phases with short-range correlations, in analogy to what has been predicted for the Heisenberg model on the same lattice. Within MSW theory, we also explore the finite-temperature phase diagram. In agreement with the Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless (BKT) theory, we find that zero-temperature long-range-ordered phases turn into quasi-ordered phases (up to a BKT transition temperature), while zero-temperature quasi-ordered phases become short-range correlated at finite temperature. These results show that, despite its simplicity, MSW theory is very well suited to describing ordered and quasi-ordered phases of frustrated XY spins (or, equivalently, of frustrated lattice bosons) both at zero and finite temperatures. While MSW theory, just as other theoretical methods, cannot describe spin-liquid phases, its breakdown provides a fast and reliable method for singling out Hamiltonians that may feature these intriguing quantum phases. We thus suggest a tool for guiding our search for interesting systems whose properties are necessarily studied with a physical quantum simulator instead of theoretical methods.
Spin liquids are important for a fundamental understanding of quantum magnetism and may find applications in quantum computing, but it is still not clear under which general circumstances these exotic, quantum-disordered phases occur. To gather deeper insights, we analyze a generalization of the spatially anisotropic triangular lattice (SATL), the spatially completely anisotropic triangular lattice (SCATL), using Takahashi's modified spin-wave theory, complemented by exact diagonalizations. For Heisenberg interactions, calculations on the SATL predict quantum disorder for several materials in which experiments have found magnetic long-range order. In the SCATL, the corresponding parameter values yield ordered ground states and this discrepancy disappears. We also study the model with XY interactions, which can be implemented with current technology in ultracold atoms in optical lattices. This allows to estimate the stability of quantum-disordered phases towards imperfect implementations of the coupling parameters. For both kinds of interactions, we find indications for extended quantum-disordered phases. In part of the parameter space of the XY model, exact diagonalization hints at a gapped state with chiral long-range order. In both models, our results suggest that two gapped nonmagnetic regions, identified as distinct in the SATL, could actually be continuously connected via the additional anisotropy of the SCATL. Further, we find that different kinds of order are always separated by disordered phases. We propose that this is a quite universal feature of two-dimensional frustrated antiferromagnets with continuous symmetry in the couplings. The SCATL may therefore---besides being relevant for experiments---yield fundamental insight into quantum-disordered phases.
Ground- and excited-state quantum fidelities in combination with generalized quantum fidelity susceptibilites, obtained from exact diagonalizations, are used to explore the phase diagram of the anisotropic next-nearest-neighbour triangular Heisenberg model. Specifically, the J'-J2 plane of this model, which connects the J1-J2 chain and the anisotropic triangular lattice Heisenberg model, is explored using these quantities. Through the use of a quantum fidelity associated with the first excited-state, in addition to the conventional ground-state fidelity, the BKT-type transition and Majumdar-Ghosh point of the J1-J2 chain (J'=0) are found to extend into the J'-J2 plane and connect with points on the J2=0 axis thereby forming bounded regions in the phase diagram. These bounded regions are then explored through the generalized quantum fidelity susceptibilities χρ, χ₁₂₀°, χD and χCAF which are associated with the spin stiffness, 120° spiral order parameter, dimer order parameter and collinear antiferromagnetic order parameter respectively. These quantities are believed to be extremely sensitive to the underlying phase and are thus well suited for finite-size studies. Analysis of the fidelity susceptibilities suggests that the J', J2≪J phase of the anisotropic triangular model is either a collinear antiferromagnet or possibly a gapless disordered phase that is directly connected to the Luttinger phase of the J1-J2 chain. Furthermore, the outer region is dominated by incommensurate spiral physics as well as dimer order.
We use a combination of numerical density matrix renormalization group calculations and several analytical approaches to comprehensively study a simplified model for a spatially anisotropic spin-21 triangular lattice Heisenberg antiferromagnet: the three-leg triangular spin tube (TST). The model is described by three Heisenberg chains, with exchange constant J, coupled antiferromagnetically with exchange constant ${J}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ along the diagonals of the ladder system, with periodic boundary conditions in the shorter direction. Here, we determine the full phase diagram of this model as a function of both spatial anisotropy (between the isotropic and decoupled chain limits) and magnetic field. We find a rich phase diagram, which is remarkably dominated by quantum states: the phase corresponding to the classical ground state appears only in an exceedingly small region. Among the dominant phases generated by quantum effects are commensurate and incommensurate coplanar quasiordered states, which appear in the vicinity of the isotropic region for most fields, and in the high-field region for most anisotropies. The coplanar states, while not classical ground states, can at least be understood semiclassically. Even more strikingly, the largest region of phase space is occupied by a spin density wave phase, which has incommensurate collinear correlations along the field. This phase has no semiclassical analog, and may be ascribed to enhanced one-dimensional fluctuations due to frustration. Cutting across the phase diagram is a magnetization plateau, with a gap to all excitations and ``up-up-down'' spin order, with a quantized magnetization equal to 31 of the saturation value. In the TST, this plateau extends almost but not quite to the decoupled chains limit. Most of the above features are expected to carry over to the two-dimensional system, which we also discuss. At low field, a dimerized phase appears, which is particular to the one-dimensional nature of the TST, and which can be understood from quantum Berry phase arguments.
We study the spin-1/2 and spin-1 [Formula: see text] Heisenberg antiferromagnets (HAFs) on an infinite, anisotropic, two-dimensional triangular lattice, using the coupled cluster method. With respect to an underlying square-lattice geometry the model contains antiferromagnetic (J1 > 0) bonds between nearest neighbours and competing [Formula: see text] bonds between next-nearest-neighbours across only one of the diagonals of each square plaquette, the same diagonal in each square. In a topologically equivalent triangular-lattice geometry the model has two sorts of nearest-neighbour bonds, with [Formula: see text] bonds along parallel chains and with J1 bonds providing an interchain coupling. The model thus interpolates between an isotropic HAF on the square lattice at one extreme (κ = 0) and a set of decoupled chains at the other (κ → ∞), with the isotropic HAF on the triangular lattice in between at κ = 1. For the spin-1/2 [Formula: see text] model, we find a weakly first-order (or possibly second-order) quantum phase transition from a Néel-ordered state to a helical state at a first critical point at κc1 = 0.80 ± 0.01, and a second critical point at κc2 = 1.8 ± 0.4 where a first-order transition occurs between the helical state and a collinear stripe-ordered state. For the corresponding spin-1 model we find an analogous transition of the second-order type at κc1 = 0.62 ± 0.01 between states with Néel and helical ordering, but we find no evidence of a further transition in this case to a stripe-ordered phase.
We study the spin-21 Heisenberg model on the triangular lattice with antiferromagnetic first- (J1) and second- (J2) nearest-neighbor interactions using density matrix renormalization group. By studying the spin correlation function, we find a ${120}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}$ magnetic order phase for ${J}_{2}\ensuremath{\lesssim}0.07{J}_{1}$ and a stripe antiferromagnetic phase for ${J}_{2}\ensuremath{\gtrsim}0.15{J}_{1}$. Between these two phases, we identify a spin-liquid region characterized by exponential decaying spin and dimer correlations, as well as large spin singlet and triplet excitation gaps on finite-size systems. We find two near degenerating ground states with distinct properties in two sectors, which indicates more than one spin-liquid candidate in this region. While the sector with spinons is found to respect time reversal symmetry, the even sector without spinons breaks such a symmetry for finite-size systems. Furthermore, we detect the signature of the fractionalization by following the evolution of different ground states with inserting spin flux into the cylinder system. Moreover, by tuning the anisotropic bond coupling, we explore the nature of the spin-liquid phase and find the optimal parameter region for gapped Z2 spin liquids.