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arXiv:1306.0791 · Physical Review B

Symmetry properties and spectra of the two-dimensional quantum compass model

Wojciech Brzezicki, Andrzej M. Oleś

Published Jun 21, 2013• 28 citations
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Abstract

We use exact symmetry properties of the two-dimensional quantum compass model to derive nonequivalent invariant subspaces in the energy spectra of $L\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}L$ clusters up to $L=6$. The symmetry allows one to reduce the original $L\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}L$ compass cluster to the $(L\ensuremath{-}1)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}(L\ensuremath{-}1)$ one with modified interactions. This step is crucial and enables (i) exact diagonalization of the $6\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}6$ quantum compass cluster and (ii) finding the specific heat for clusters up to $L=6$, with two characteristic energy scales. We investigate the properties of the ground state and the first excited states and present extrapolation of the excitation energy with increasing system size. Our analysis provides physical insights into the nature of nematic order realized in the quantum compass model at finite temperature. We suggest that the quantum phase transition at the isotropic interaction point is second order with some admixture of the discontinuous transition, as indicated by the entropy, the overlap between two types of nematic order (on horizontal and vertical bonds), and the existence of the critical exponent. Extrapolation of the specific heat to the $L\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\infty}$ limit suggests the classical nature of the quantum compass model and high degeneracy of the ground state with nematic order.

DOI
10.1103/physrevb.87.214421

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We use exact symmetry properties of the two-dimensional quantum compass model to derive nonequivalent invariant subspaces in the energy spectra of L\ifmmode×\else\texttimes\fiLL\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}LL\ifmmode×\else\texttimes\fiL clusters up to L=6L=6L=6. The symmetry allows one to reduce the original L\ifmmode×\else\texttimes\fiLL\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}LL\ifmmode×\else\texttimes\fiL compass cluster to the (L\ensuremath−1)\ifmmode×\else\texttimes\fi(L\ensuremath−1)(L\ensuremath{-}1)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}(L\ensuremath{-}1)(L\ensuremath−1)\ifmmode×\else\texttimes\fi(L\ensuremath−1) one with modified interactions. This step is crucial and enables (i) exact diagonalization of the 6\ifmmode×\else\texttimes\fi66\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}66\ifmmode×\else\texttimes\fi6 quantum compass cluster and (ii) finding the specific heat for clusters up to L=6L=6L=6, with two characteristic energy scales. We investigate the properties of the ground state and the first excited states and present extrapolation of the excitation energy with increasing system size. Our analysis provides physical insights into the nature of nematic order realized in the quantum compass model at finite temperature. We suggest that the quantum phase transition at the isotropic interaction point is second order with some admixture of the discontinuous transition, as indicated by the entropy, the overlap between two types of nematic order (on horizontal and vertical bonds), and the existence of the critical exponent. Extrapolation of the specific heat to the L\ensuremath→\ensuremath∞L\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\infty}L\ensuremath→\ensuremath∞ limit suggests the classical nature of the quantum compass model and high degeneracy of the ground state with nematic order.
Abstract. We obtained exact heat capacities of the quantum compass model on the square L×L clusters with L = 2, 3,4, 5 using Kernel Polynomial Method and compare them with heat capacity of a large compass ladder. Intersite correlations found in the ground state for these systems demonstrate that the quantum compass model differs from its classical version. Quantum compass model originating from the orbital (Kugel-Khomskii) superexchange in transition metal oxides has been recently studied both using analytical [1] and numerical [2, 3] approach. In spite of remarkable progress in numerical methods for two–dimensional (2D) Ising– like models [4, 5], exact solutions are necessary to investigate the structure of excited states. The one–dimensional (1D) compass model is exactly solvable by mapping to quantum Ising model [6] and exhibits interesting properties while approaching to the quantum critical point at zero temperature [7]. In addition, its ladder version, first considered by Douçot et al. [1] is solvable in a similar way and its partition function [8] can be obtained exactly in case of a large (but finite) system. There is no exact solution for the 2D compass model but the latest Monte Carlo data [3] prove that the model exhibits a phase transition at finite temperature both in quantum and classical version with symmetry breaking between x and z part of the Hamiltonian. This
We present a spin ladder with antiferromagnetic Ising ZZZZZZ interactions along the legs and interactions on the rungs which interpolate between the Ising ladder and the quantum compass ladder. We show that the entire energy spectrum of the ladder may be determined exactly for finite number of spins 2N2N2N by mapping to the quantum Ising chain and using Jordan-Wigner transformation in invariant subspaces. We also demonstrate that subspaces with spin defects lead to excited states using finite-size scaling, and the ground state corresponds to the quantum Ising model without defects. At the quantum phase transition to maximally frustrated interactions of the compass ladder, the ZZZZZZ spin-correlation function on the rungs collapses to zero and the ground-state degeneracy increases by two. We formulate a systematic method to calculate the partition function for a mesoscopic system and employ it to demonstrate that fragmentation of the compass ladder by kink defects increases with increasing temperature. The obtained heat capacity of a large compass ladder consisting of 2N=1042N=1042N=104 spins reveals two relevant energy scales and has a broad maximum due to dense energy spectrum. The present exact results elucidate the nature of the quantum phase transition from ordered to disordered ground state found in the compass model in two dimensions.
We study a model of spins 1/21/21/2 on a square lattice, generalizing the quantum compass model via the addition of perturbing Heisenberg interactions between nearest neighbors, and investigate its phase diagram and magnetic excitations. This model has motivations both from the field of strongly correlated systems with orbital degeneracy and from that of solid-state based devices proposed for quantum computing. We find that the high degeneracy of ground states of the compass model is fragile and changes into twofold degenerate ground states for any finite amplitude of Heisenberg coupling. By computing the spin structure factors of finite clusters with L\'anczos diagonalization, we evidence a rich variety of phases characterized by Z2{\mathbb{Z}}_{2}Z2​ symmetry that are either ferromagnetic, CCC-type antiferromagnetic, or of the N\'eel type and analyze the effects of quantum fluctuations on phase boundaries. In the ordered phases, the anisotropy of compass interactions leads to a finite excitation gap to spin waves. We show that for small nanoscale clusters with large anisotropy gap the lowest excitations are column-flip excitations that emerge due to Heisenberg perturbing interactions from the manifold of degenerate ground states of the compass model. We derive an effective one-dimensional XYZXYZXYZ model that faithfully reproduces the exact structure of these excited states and elucidates their microscopic origin. The low-energy column-flip or compass-type excitations are robust against decoherence processes and are therefore well designed for storing information in quantum computing. We also point out that the dipolar interactions between nitrogen-vacancy centers forming a rectangular lattice in a diamond matrix may permit a solid-state realization of the anisotropic compass-Heisenberg model.
We present an exact solution for a class of one-dimensional compass models which stand for interacting orbital degrees of freedom in a Mott insulator. By employing the Jordan-Wigner transformation we map these models on noninteracting fermions and discuss how spin correlations, high degeneracy of the ground state, and Z2{Z}_{2}Z2​ symmetry in the quantum compass model are visible in the fermionic language. Considering a zigzag chain of ions with singly occupied eg{e}_{g}eg​ orbitals (eg{e}_{g}eg​ orbital model) we demonstrate that the orbital excitations change qualitatively with increasing transverse field, and that the excitation gap closes at the quantum phase transition to a polarized state. This phase transition disappears in the quantum compass model with maximally frustrated orbital interactions which resembles the Kitaev model. Here we find that the finite transverse field destabilizes the orbital-liquid ground state with macroscopic degeneracy, and leads to peculiar behavior of the specific heat and orbital susceptibility at finite temperature. We show that the entropy and the cooling rate at finite temperature exhibit quite different behavior near the critical point for these two models.
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