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arXiv:1801.09713 · Physical review. B./Physical review. B

Three types of representation of spin in terms of Majorana fermions and an alternative solution of the Kitaev honeycomb model

Jianlong Fu, Johannes Knolle, Natalia Borisovna Perkins

Published Mar 21, 2018• 33 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Based on the Dirac spinor representation of the SO(4) group, we discuss the relationship between three types of representation of spin in terms of Majorana fermions, namely the Kitaev representation, the SO(3) representation, and the SO(4) chiral representation. Comparing the three types, we show that the Hilbert space of the SO(3) representation is different from the other two by requiring a pairing of sites, but it has the advantage over the other two in that no unphysical states are involved. As an example of its application, we present an alternative solution of the Kitaev honeycomb model. Our solution involves no unphysical states which enables a systematic calculation of physical observables. Finally, we discuss an extension of the model to a more general exactly soluble ${Z}_{2}$ gauge theory interacting with complex fermions.

DOI
10.1103/physrevb.97.115142

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Based on the Dirac spinor representation of the SO(4) group, we discuss the relationship between three types of representation of spin in terms of Majorana fermions, namely the Kitaev representation, the SO(3) representation, and the SO(4) chiral representation. Comparing the three types, we show that the Hilbert space of the SO(3) representation is different from the other two by requiring a pairing of sites, but it has the advantage over the other two in that no unphysical states are involved. As an example of its application, we present an alternative solution of the Kitaev honeycomb model. Our solution involves no unphysical states which enables a systematic calculation of physical observables. Finally, we discuss an extension of the model to a more general exactly soluble Z2{Z}_{2}Z2​ gauge theory interacting with complex fermions.
We study a frustrated two-dimensional lattice spin model with Kitaev-type interaction. The lattice is obtained from the honeycomb lattice by replacing half of its sites with triangles. Using the SO(3) Majorana representation of spin, the model is exactly mapped into a Z2{Z}_{2}Z2​ lattice gauge theory of complex fermions with standard Gauss law constraint. We show that the ground state of the model is a chiral spin liquid, and it has gapless excitations. The Chern number of the ground state is $\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1$, implying the existence of a chiral edge mode. The vortex excitation of the model is bound with a Majorana zero mode, such mode behaves as non-Abelian anyons.
We explore the properties of the SO(3) Majorana representation of spin. Based on its nonlocal nature, it is shown that there is an equivalence between the SO(3) Majorana representation and the Jordan-Wigner transformation in one and two dimensions. From the relation between the SO(3) Majorana representation and one-dimensional Jordan-Wigner transformation, we show that application of the SO(3) Majorana representation usually results in Z2{Z}_{2}Z2​ gauge structure. Based on lattice Chern-Simons gauge theory, it is shown that the anticommuting link variables in the SO(3) Majorana representation make it equivalent to an operator form of compact U(1)1{\text{U(1)}}_{1}U(1)1​ Chern-Simons Jordan-Wigner transformation in 2D. As examples of its application, we discuss two spin models, namely the quantum XY model on a honeycomb lattice and the ${90}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}$ compass model on a square lattice. It is shown that under the SO(3) Majorana representation both spin models can be exactly mapped into Z2{Z}_{2}Z2​ gauge theory of spinons, with the standard form of Z2{Z}_{2}Z2​ Gauss law constraint.
These lecture notes focus on the Kitaev honeycomb model, a two-dimensional quantumsystem with three distinct Ising-type interactions, depending on the direction of eachbond. This model has proven particularly important for describing quantum spin liquids,as well as for applications in topological quantum computing, due to its exotictopological properties. It constitutes the first exactly solvable theoretical model thatfully captures the behavior of a quantum spin liquid. We begin by presenting the geometryof the model, the Hamiltonian that describes the system, and Alexei Kitaev's effort toobtain an exact analytical solution, based on the decomposition of the Hilbert spaceinto flux sectors. We then present Ettore Majorana's observation that the Dirac equationalso admits real solutions, leading to the theoretical prediction of Majorana fermions-- particles that are identical to their antiparticles. We examine how the spatialseparation of Majorana operators leads to the rise of unbound Majorana fermions, andshowcase the exotic topological properties that manifest in physical systems such assuperconducting wires. Next, we represent the Hamiltonian in the basis of Majoranafermions, by expressing spin operators using four Majorana operators. The transitionfrom the extended space L~\tilde{\mathcal{L}}L~ to the physical subspace L\mathcal{L}Lis achieved through a gauge transformation of the Z2\mathbb{Z}_2Z2​ group. We thenreformulate the Hamiltonian in the basis of complex bond and matter fermions, transitionto momentum space, and assume that the system lies in the zero-flux sector. Through theBogoliubov--de Gennes transformation, we arrive at the final diagonalized Hamiltonianin the quasiparticle basis. Finally, we represent the possible phases -- the gaplessphase (phase BBB) and the gapped phases (phase AαiA_{\alpha_i}Aαi​​) -- compute thecorresponding energy spectrum, and present the complete phase diagram. By employing thecorrelation function, we show that all phases are characterized by strong quantumentanglement and spin fractionalization, classifying the system as a quantum spin liquid.
Emergent gauge theories take a prominent role in the description of quantum matter, supporting deconfined phases with topological order and fractionalized excitations. A common construction of \mathbb{Z}_2 ℤ 2 lattice gauge theories, first introduced by Wegner, involves Ising gauge spins placed on links and subject to a discrete \mathbb{Z}_2 ℤ 2 Gauss law constraint. As shown by Kitaev, \mathbb{Z}_2 ℤ 2 lattice gauge theories also emerge in the exact solution of certain spin systems with bond-dependent interactions. In this context, the \mathbb{Z}_2 ℤ 2 gauge field is constructed from Majorana fermions, with gauge constraints given by the parity of Majorana fermions on each site. In this work, we provide an explicit Jordan-Wigner transformation that maps between these two formulations on the square lattice, where the Kitaev-type gauge theory emerges as the exact solution of a spin-orbital (Kugel-Khomskii) Hamiltonian. We then apply our mapping to study local perturbations to the spin-orbital Hamiltonian, which correspond to anisotropic interactions between electric-field variables in the \mathbb{Z}_2 ℤ 2 gauge theory. These are shown to induce anisotropic confinement that is characterized by emergence of weakly-coupled one-dimensional spin chains. We study the nature of these phases and corresponding confinement transitions in both absence and presence of itinerant fermionic matter degrees of freedom. Finally, we discuss how our mapping can be applied to the Kitaev spin-1/2 model on the honeycomb lattice.
Abstract The S=3/2 Kitaev honeycomb model (KHM) is a quantum spin liquid (QSL) state coupled to a static Z2 gauge field. Employing an SO(6) Majorana representation of spin3/2’s, we find an exact representation of the conserved plaquette fluxes in terms of static Z2 gauge fields akin to the S=1/2 KHM which enables us to treat the remaining interacting matter fermion sector in a parton mean-field theory. We uncover a ground-state phase diagram consisting of gapped and gapless QSLs. Our parton description is in quantitative agreement with numerical simulations, and is furthermore corroborated by the addition of a [001] single ion anisotropy (SIA) which continuously connects the gapless Dirac QSL of our model with that of the S=1/2 KHM. In the presence of a weak [111] SIA, we discuss an emergent chiral QSL within a perturbation theory.
In quantum magnetism, Kitaev's honeycomb model is well known for its gapped and gapless spin liquid ground states in which the elementary spin degrees of freedom fractionalize into Majorana fermions and a Z2{\mathbb{Z}}_{2}Z2​ gauge field. In this paper, the authors discuss the gapless spin liquids arising in three-dimensional Kitaev models and show that the gapless Majorana fermions form metallic states which, depending on the underlying lattice structure, exhibit Fermi surfaces, nodal lines, or Weyl points.