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arXiv:1810.04149 · Physical review. B./Physical review. B

Finite-temperature geometric properties of the Kitaev honeycomb model

Francesco Bascone, Luca Leonforte, Davide Valenti, Bernardo Spagnolo, Angelo C. M. Carollo

Published May 30, 2019• 13 citations
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Abstract

We study finite-temperature topological properties of the Kitaev's spin-honeycomb model in the vortex-free sector with the use of the recently introduced mean Uhlmann curvature. We employ an appropriate fermionization procedure to study the system as a two-band $p$-wave superconductor described by a Bogoliubov--de Gennes Hamiltonian. This allows us to study relevant quantities such as Berry and mean Uhlmann curvatures in a simple setting. More specifically, we consider the spin honeycomb in the presence of an external magnetic field breaking time-reversal symmetry. The introduction of such an external perturbation opens up a gap in the phase of the system characterized by non-Abelian statistics. The resulting model belongs to a symmetry-protected class, so that the Uhlmann number can be analyzed. We first consider the Berry curvature on a particular evolution line over the phase diagram. The mean Uhlmann curvature and the Uhlmann number are then analyzed by assuming a thermal state. The mean Uhlmann curvature describes a crossover effect as temperature rises. In the trivial phase, a nonmonotonic dependence of the Uhlmann number, as temperature increases, is reported and explained.

DOI
10.1103/physrevb.99.205155

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•Feb 1, 2016•0 citations
We study finite-temperature topological properties of the Kitaev's spin-honeycomb model in the vortex-free sector with the use of the recently introduced mean Uhlmann curvature. We employ an appropriate fermionization procedure to study the system as a two-band ppp-wave superconductor described by a Bogoliubov--de Gennes Hamiltonian. This allows us to study relevant quantities such as Berry and mean Uhlmann curvatures in a simple setting. More specifically, we consider the spin honeycomb in the presence of an external magnetic field breaking time-reversal symmetry. The introduction of such an external perturbation opens up a gap in the phase of the system characterized by non-Abelian statistics. The resulting model belongs to a symmetry-protected class, so that the Uhlmann number can be analyzed. We first consider the Berry curvature on a particular evolution line over the phase diagram. The mean Uhlmann curvature and the Uhlmann number are then analyzed by assuming a thermal state. The mean Uhlmann curvature describes a crossover effect as temperature rises. In the trivial phase, a nonmonotonic dependence of the Uhlmann number, as temperature increases, is reported and explained.
Abstract We analyse the Kitaev honeycomb model, by means of the Berry curvature with respect to Hamiltonian parameters. We concentrate on the ground-state vortex-free sector, which allows us to exploit an appropriate Fermionisation technique. The parameter space includes a time-reversal breaking term which provides an analytical headway to study the curvature in phases in which it would otherwise vanish. The curvature is then analysed in the limit in which the time-reversal-symmetry-breaking perturbation vanishes. This provides remarkable information about the topological phase transitions of the model. The Berry curvature in itself exhibits no singularities at criticality, nevertheless it distinguishes different phases by showing different behaviours. In particular, the analysis of the first derivative shows a critical behaviour around the transition point.
We investigate the topological phase transition of Kitaev spin liquid in an external magnetic field by calculating the Berry curvature and the Fubini-Study metric. Employing Jordan-Wigner transformation and effective perturbative theory to transform the Hamiltonian into fermionic quadratic form, the Berry curvature is calculated by choosing the effective magnetic field as the parameter, and we find that the xyxyxy component of the Berry curvature has the same behavior around the critical lines with the phase diagram. Especially, we relate the Berry curvature with the derivative of effective magnetic susceptibility which can be regarded as the signature of topological phase transition. Moreover, we related the second nonlinear susceptibility with the interband Berry connection. Then we analytically calculate the generalized Berry curvature in the mixed state called the mean Uhlmann curvature, which can be related with the spectral function. The curves where the Uhlmann curvature changes temperature with different coupling constants reveal that it will have a peak at T=0.2KT=0.2KT=0.2K when adjusting Jx{J}_{x}Jx​ from 0.2 to 0.3 with Jy=0.25{J}_{y}=0.25Jy​=0.25, in which the first-order derivative is discontinuous, revealing the characteristic of thermodynamic phase transition from the BBB phase quantum spin liquid state to the magnetic ordered state. Last, we analytically calculate the quantum geometric tensor in the effective magnetic-field space whose imaginary part is the Berry curvature and the real part is the Fubini-Study metric, and we find that the zzzzzz component of the Fubini-Study metric and the phase diagram are highly correlated, which will peak at the cross point of three phases, and then the Fubini-Study metric is extended to the finite temperature, called the Bures metric, which has the same behavior of the Uhlmann curvature at T=0.2KT=0.2KT=0.2K in BBB phase.
We investigate the nature of the topological phase transition of the antiferromagnetic Kitaev model on a honeycomb lattice in the presence of a magnetic field along the [111] direction. The field opens a topological gap in the Majorana fermion spectrum and leads to a sequence of topological phase transitions before the field-polarized state is reached. At mean-field level, the gap first closes at the three M points in the Brillouin zone, where the Majorana fermions form Dirac cones, resulting in a change of Chern number by three. An odd number of Dirac fermions in infrared is unusual and requires Berry curvature compensation in ultraviolet, which occurs via topological, ringlike hybridization gaps with higher-energy bands. We perform a renormalization-group analysis of the topological phase transition at the three M points within the Yukawa theory, allowing for intravalley and intervalley fluctuations of the spin-liquid bond operators. We find that the latter lead to a breaking of Lorentz invariance and hence a different universality compared with the standard Ising Gross-Neveu-Yukawa class.
Motivated by the growing interest in spin liquids and topological phases, as well as the rise of deformation engineering, we study the combined effects of deformation and magnetic fields on the honeycomb Kitaev model. The Kitaev model, as one of the prototypical and exactly solvable spin liquid-hosting models, serves as a simple platform that demonstrates the rich physics one can expect at the intersection of deformation physics and quantum spin liquids. Our work builds on a simplified solution to the undeformed base model that we present. This simplified solution allows for a straightforward extension of our analysis to the deformed case. After incorporating periodic deformations into the Kitaev model (chosen for its similarity to moiré physics), we investigate the effects of a hexagonally symmetric deformation on the band structure. We find that deformation leads to a smaller Brillouin zone with new band gaps at the edges, indicating the potential for topological transitions. Finally, we introduce a magnetic field to break time-reversal symmetry and thereby allow for non-trivial topology. We find that, under specific parameter conditions, the magnetic field leads to multiple band-gap closings and openings. An investigation into topological properties reveals nontrivial Chern numbers and a plethora of topological transitions. Our results suggest possible thermal Hall or Nernst-type responses. We also suggest a potential bulk measurement approach for he Chern numbers and possible path to physical realization. Most importantly, our results serve as a demonstration of the rich phenomenology that can arise due to the interplay between deformation and spin-liquid physics.
Temperature evolution of the spin correlation and excitation spectrum is investigated for the Kitaev model defined on a decorated honeycomb lattice by using the quantum Monte Carlo simulation in the Majorana fermion representation. The ground state of this quantum spin model is given by two kinds of chiral spin liquids: one is topologically trivial with Abelian anyon excitations, and the other is topologically nontrivial with non-Abelian anyon excitations. While lowering temperature, the model exhibits several crossovers in the paramagnetic state, which originate from the fractionalization of quantum spins into Majorana fermions, in addition to a phase transition associated with time reversal symmetry breaking. We show that the spin correlation develops around the crossover temperatures, whereas it shows a slight change at the critical temperature, as in other Kitaev-type models. We also calculate the excitation spectrum in terms of Majorana fermions, and find that the excitation gap in the non-Abelian phase is fragile against thermal fluctuations of the Z 2 fluxes, while that in the Abelian phase remains open.
Temperature evolution of the spin correlation and excitation spectrum is investigated for a Kitaev model defined on a decorated honeycomb lattice by using the quantum Monte Carlo simulation in the Majorana fermion representation. The ground state of this quantum spin model is given by two kinds of chiral spin liquids: one is topologically trivial with Abelian anyon excitations, and the other is topologically nontrivial with non-Abelian anyon excitations. While lowering temperature, the model exhibits several crossovers in the paramagnetic state, which originate from the fractionalization of quantum spins into Majorana fermions, in addition to a phase transition associated with time reversal symmetry breaking. We show that the spin correlation develops around the crossover temperatures, whereas it shows a slight change at the critical temperature, as in other Kitaev-type models. We also calculate the excitation spectrum in terms of Majorana fermions, and find that the excitation gap in the non-Abelian phase is fragile against thermal fluctuations of the Z2Z_2Z2​ fluxes, while that in the Abelian phase remains open.