The nature of quantum spin liquids is studied for the spin-
1/2 antiferromagnetic Heisenberg model on a square lattice containing exchange interactions between nearest-neighbor sites,
J1, and those between next-nearest-neighbor sites,
J2. We perform variational Monte Carlo simulations together with the quantum-number-projection technique and clarify the phase diagram in the ground state together with its excitation spectra. We obtain the nonmagnetic phase in the region
0.4<J2/J1≤0.6 sandwiched by the staggered and stripe antiferromagnetic (AF) phases. Our direct calculations of the spin gap support the notion that the triplet excitation from the singlet ground state is gapless in the range of
0.4<J2/J1≤0.5, while the gapped valence-bond-crystal (VBC) phase is stabilized for
0.5<J2/J1≤0.6. The VBC order is likely to have the columnar symmetry with a spontaneous symmetry breaking of the
C4v symmetry. The power-law behaviors of the spin-spin and dimer-dimer correlation functions in the gapless region are consistent with the emergence of the algebraic quantum-spin-liquid phase (critical phase). The exponent of the spin correlation
⟨S(0)S(r)⟩∝1/rz+η at a long distance
r appears to increase from
z+η∼1 at
J2/J1∼0.4 toward the continuous transition to the VBC phase at
J1/J1∼0.5. Our results, however, do not fully exclude the possibility of a direct quantum transition between the staggered AF and VBC phases with a wide critical region and deconfined criticality.
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.
We study the spin-1/2 Heisenberg model on the triangular lattice with the antiferromagnetic first (J1) and second nearest-neighbor (J2) interactions using density matrix renormalization group. By studying the spin correlation function, we find a 120◦ magnetic order phase for J2 . 0.08J1 and a stripe antiferromagnetic phase for J2 & 0.16J2. Between these two phases, we identify a gapped spin liquid phase characterized by the exponential decaying spin and dimer correlations, as well as finite spin singlet and triplet excitation gaps. We also find two topological degenerating ground states in two topological sectors. Furthermore, we detect the signature of the fractionalization by following the evolution of different ground states with inserting spin flux into the cylinder system. While the sector with spinon is found to respect the time reveral symmetry, the even sector without a spinon may break such a symmetry. We discuss the implications of numerical results for the nature of the topological spin liquid phase.
We study the ground-state properties of the quantum spin liquid (QSL) phases of the spin-
1/2 antiferromagnetic Heisenberg model on the triangular lattice with nearest-
(J1), next-nearest-
(J2), and third-neighbor
(J3) interactions by using the density-matrix renormalization group (DMRG) method. By combining parallel DMRG with
SU(2) spin rotational symmetry, we are able to obtain accurate results on large cylinders with length up to
Lx=48 and circumference
Ly=6−−12. Our results suggest that the QSL phase of the ${J}_{1}\text{\ensuremath{-}}{J}_{2}$ Heisenberg model is gapped, which is characterized by the absence of a gapless mode and by short-range spin-spin and dimer-dimer correlations. In the presence of
J3 interaction, we find that a critical QSL with a single gapless mode emerges. While both spin-spin and scalar chiral-chiral correlations are short ranged, dimer-dimer correlations are quasi long ranged and decay as a power law at long distances.
We present the dynamical spin structure factor of the antiferromagnetic spin-$\frac{1}{2} {J}_{1}\text{\ensuremath{-}}{J}_{2}$ Heisenberg model on a triangular lattice obtained from large-scale matrix-product state simulations. The high frustration due to the combination of antiferromagnetic nearest- and next-nearest-neighbor interactions yields a rich phase diagram. We resolve the low-energy excitations both in the ${120}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}$ ordered phase and in the putative spin-liquid phase at
J2/J1=0.125. In the ordered phase, we observe an avoided decay of the lowest magnon branch, demonstrating the robustness of this phenomenon in the presence of gapless excitations. Our findings in the spin-liquid phase chime with the field-theoretical predictions for a gapless Dirac spin liquid, in particular the picture of low-lying monopole excitations at the corners of the Brillouin zone. We comment on possible practical difficulties of distinguishing proximate liquid and solid phases based on the dynamical structure factor.
We study the
S=1/2 Heisenberg model on the triangular lattice with nearest- and next-nearest-neighbor interactions
J1 and
J2 with the density matrix renormalization group, on long open cylinders with widths up to nine lattice spacings. In an intermediate
J2 region $0.06\ensuremath{\lesssim}{J}_{2}/{J}_{1}\ensuremath{\lesssim}0.17$, we find evidence for a spin liquid (SL) state with short range spin-spin, bond-bond, and chiral correlation lengths, bordered by a classical ${120}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}$ N\'eel ordered state at small
J2 and by a two sublattice collinear magnetically ordered state at larger
J2. Focusing on
J2/J1=0.1, we find a number of signatures of a gapped SL phase.