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arXiv:1602.05969 · Physical review. B./Physical review. B

SU(2)1 chiral edge modes of a critical spin liquid

Didier Poilblanc, Norbert Schuch, Ian K. Affleck

Published May 18, 2016• 43 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Protected chiral edge modes are a well-known signature of topologically ordered phases, such as the fractional quantum Hall states (FQHS). Using the framework of projected entangled pair states (PEPS) on the square lattice, the authors construct a family of chiral spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ quantum spin liquids with ${\mathbb{Z}}_{2}$ gauge symmetry and analyze in full detail the properties of the edge modes. Surprisingly, the results show that the latter can be well described by a chiral conformal field theory of free bosons (SU(2)${}_{1}$), as is the case for the $\ensuremath{\nu}$=$\frac{1}{2}$ (bosonic) gapped Laughlin state, despite the fact that the numerical data here suggest a critical bulk. The authors thus propose that our family of PEPS physically describes a boundary between a chiral topological phase and a trivial phase and might be closely connected to an (unknown) analogous FQHS.

DOI
10.1103/physrevb.93.174414

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Protected chiral edge modes are a well-known signature of topologically ordered phases, such as the fractional quantum Hall states (FQHS). Using the framework of projected entangled pair states (PEPS) on the square lattice, the authors construct a family of chiral spin-12\frac{1}{2}21​ quantum spin liquids with Z2{\mathbb{Z}}_{2}Z2​ gauge symmetry and analyze in full detail the properties of the edge modes. Surprisingly, the results show that the latter can be well described by a chiral conformal field theory of free bosons (SU(2)1{}_{1}1​), as is the case for the \ensuremathν\ensuremath{\nu}\ensuremathν=12\frac{1}{2}21​ (bosonic) gapped Laughlin state, despite the fact that the numerical data here suggest a critical bulk. The authors thus propose that our family of PEPS physically describes a boundary between a chiral topological phase and a trivial phase and might be closely connected to an (unknown) analogous FQHS.
Topological chiral phases are ubiquitous in the physics of the fractional quantum Hall effect. Nonchiral topological spin liquids are also well known. Here, using the framework of projected entangled pair states (PEPS), we construct a family of chiral spin liquids on the square lattice, which are generalized spin-1/2 resonating valence bond (RVB) states obtained from deformed local tensors with d+idd+i\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}dd+id symmetry. On a cylinder, we construct four topological sectors with even or odd number of spinons on the boundary and even or odd number of (Z2{\mathbb{Z}}_{2}Z2​) fluxes penetrating the cylinder, which, we argue, remain orthogonal in the limit of infinite perimeter. The analysis of the transfer matrix provides evidence of short-range (long-range) triplet (singlet) correlations as for the critical (nonchiral) RVB state. The entanglement spectrum exhibits chiral edge modes, which we confront to predictions of the conformal field theory, and the corresponding entanglement Hamiltonian is shown to be long-ranged.
Abelian and non-Abelian topological phases exhibiting protected chiral edge modes are ubiquitous in the realm of the fractional quantum Hall (FQH) effect. Here, we investigate a spin-1 Hamiltonian on the square lattice which could, potentially, host the spin liquid analog of the (bosonic) non-Abelian Moore-Read FQH state, as suggested by exact diagonalization of small clusters. Using families of fully SU(2)-spin symmetric and translationally invariant chiral projected entangled pair states (PEPS), variational energy optimization is performed using infinite-PEPS methods, providing good agreement with density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) results. A careful analysis of the bulk spin-spin and dimer-dimer correlation functions in the optimized spin liquid suggests that they exhibit long-range ``gossamer tails''. From the investigation of the entanglement spectrum, we observe sharply defined chiral edge modes following the prediction of the SU(2)2{}_{2}2​ Wess-Zumino-Witten theory and exhibiting a conformal field theory (CFT) central charge c=3/2c=3/2c=3/2, as expected for a Moore-Read chiral spin liquid. Using the PEPS bulk-edge correspondence, we argue the ``weak'' criticality of the bulk is in fact a finite-DDD artifact of the chiral PEPS, which quickly becomes (practically) irrelevant as the PEPS bond dimension DDD is increased. We conclude that the PEPS formalism offers an unbiased and efficient method to investigate non-Abelian chiral spin liquids in quantum antiferromagnets.
In the physics of the fractional quantum Hall (FQH) effect, a zoo of Abelian topological phases can be obtained by varying the magnetic field. Aiming to reach the same phenomenology in spin like systems, we propose a family of SU(N)\mathrm{SU}(N)SU(N)-symmetric models in the fundamental representation, on the square lattice with short-range interactions restricted to triangular units, a natural generalization for arbitrary NNN of an SU(3) model studied previously where time-reversal symmetry is broken explicitly. Guided by the recent discovery of SU(2)1{\mathrm{SU}(2)}_{1}SU(2)1​ and SU(3)1{\mathrm{SU}(3)}_{1}SU(3)1​ chiral spin liquids (CSL) on similar models we search for topological SU(N)1\mathrm{SU}({N)}_{1}SU(N)1​ CSL in some range of the Hamiltonian parameters via a combination of complementary numerical methods such as exact diagonalizations (ED), infinite density matrix renormalization group (iDMRG) and infinite Projected Entangled Pair State (iPEPS). Extensive ED on small (periodic and open) clusters up to N=10N=10N=10 and an innovative SU(N)\mathrm{SU}(N)SU(N)-symmetric version of iDMRG to compute entanglement spectra on (infinitely long) cylinders in all topological sectors provide unambiguous signatures of the SU(N)1\mathrm{SU}({N)}_{1}SU(N)1​ character of the chiral liquids. An SU(4)-symmetric chiral PEPS, constructed in a manner similar to its SU(2) and SU(3) analogs, is shown to give a good variational ansatz of the N=4N=4N=4 ground state, with chiral edge modes originating from the PEPS holographic bulk-edge correspondence. Finally, we discuss the possible observation of such Abelian CSL in ultracold atom setups where the possibility of varying NNN provides a tuning parameter similar to the magnetic field in the physics of the FQH effect.
Quantum spin liquids can be faithfully represented and efficiently characterized within the framework of projected entangled pair states (PEPS). Guided by extensive exact diagonalization and density matrix renormalization group calculations, we construct an optimized symmetric PEPS for a SU(3)_{1} chiral spin liquid on the square lattice. Characteristic features are revealed by the entanglement spectrum (ES) on an infinitely long cylinder. In all three Z_{3} sectors, the level counting of the linear dispersing modes is in full agreement with SU(3)_{1} Wess-Zumino-Witten conformal field theory prediction. Special features in the ES are shown to be in correspondence with bulk anyonic correlations, indicating a fine structure in the holographic bulk-edge correspondence. Possible universal properties of topological SU(N)_{k} chiral PEPS are discussed.
Doubts have been raised on the representation of chiral spin liquids exhibiting topological order in terms of projected entangled pair states (PEPSs). Here, starting from a simple spin-1/2 chiral frustrated Heisenberg model, we show that a faithful representation of the chiral spin liquid phase is in fact possible in terms of a generic PEPS upon variational optimization. We find a perfectly chiral gapless edge mode and a rapid decay of correlation functions at short distances consistent with a bulk gap, concomitant with a gossamer long-range tail originating from a PEPS bulk-edge correspondence. For increasing bond dimension, (i) the rapid decrease of spurious features-SU(2) symmetry breaking and long-range tails in correlations-together with (ii) a faster convergence of the ground state energy as compared to state-of-the-art cylinder matrix-product state simulations involving far more variational parameters, prove the fundamental relevance of the PEPS ansatz for simulating systems with chiral topological order.