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arXiv:2305.06679 · Probability and Mathematical Physics

Low-temperature spectrum of the quantum transfer matrix of the XXZ chain in the massless regime

Saskia Faulmann, Frank Göhmann, Karol Kajetan Kozlowski

Published Nov 3, 2025• 2 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

The free energy per lattice site of a quantum spin chain in the thermodynamic limit is determined by a single `dominant' Eigenvalue of an associated quantum transfer matrix in the infinite Trotter number limit. For integrable quantum spin chains, related with solutions of the Yang-Baxter equation, an appropriate choice of the quantum transfer matrix enables to study its spectrum, e.g.\ by means of the algebraic Bethe Ansatz. In its turn, the knowledge of the full spectrum allows one to study its universality properties such as the appearance of a conformal spectrum in the low-temperature regime. More generally, accessing the full spectrum is a necessary step for deriving thermal form factor series representations of the correlation functions of local operators for the spin chain under consideration. These are statements that have been established by physicists on a heuristic level and that are calling for a rigorous mathematical justification. In this work we implement certain aspects of this programme with the example of the XXZ quantum spin chain in the antiferromagnetic massless regime and in the low-temperature limit. We rigorously establish the existence, uniqueness and characterise the form of the solutions to the non-linear integral equations that are equivalent to the Bethe Ansatz equations for the quantum transfer matrix of this model. This allows us to describe that part of the quantum transfer matrix spectrum that is related to the Bethe Ansatz and that does not collapse to zero in the infinite Trotter number limit. Within the considered part of the spectrum we rigorously identify the dominant Eigenvalue and show that those correlations lengths that diverge in the low-temperature limit are given, to the leading order, by the spectrum of the free Boson $c=1$ conformal field theory. This rigorously establishes a long-standing conjecture present in the physics literature.

DOI
10.2140/pmp.2025.6.1507

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The free energy per lattice site of a quantum spin chain in the thermodynamic limit is determined by a single `dominant' Eigenvalue of an associated quantum transfer matrix in the infinite Trotter number limit. For integrable quantum spin chains, related with solutions of the Yang-Baxter equation, an appropriate choice of the quantum transfer matrix enables to study its spectrum, e.g.\ by means of the algebraic Bethe Ansatz. In its turn, the knowledge of the full spectrum allows one to study its universality properties such as the appearance of a conformal spectrum in the low-temperature regime. More generally, accessing the full spectrum is a necessary step for deriving thermal form factor series representations of the correlation functions of local operators for the spin chain under consideration. These are statements that have been established by physicists on a heuristic level and that are calling for a rigorous mathematical justification. In this work we implement certain aspects of this programme with the example of the XXZ quantum spin chain in the antiferromagnetic massless regime and in the low-temperature limit. We rigorously establish the existence, uniqueness and characterise the form of the solutions to the non-linear integral equations that are equivalent to the Bethe Ansatz equations for the quantum transfer matrix of this model. This allows us to describe that part of the quantum transfer matrix spectrum that is related to the Bethe Ansatz and that does not collapse to zero in the infinite Trotter number limit. Within the considered part of the spectrum we rigorously identify the dominant Eigenvalue and show that those correlations lengths that diverge in the low-temperature limit are given, to the leading order, by the spectrum of the free Boson c=1c=1c=1 conformal field theory. This rigorously establishes a long-standing conjecture present in the physics literature.
We consider the spectrum of correlation lengths of the spin− XXZ chain in the antiferromagnetic massive regime. These are given as ratios of eigenvalues of the quantum transfer matrix of the model. The eigenvalues are determined by integrals over certain auxiliary functions and by their zeros. The auxiliary functions satisfy nonlinear integral equations. We analyse these nonlinear integral equations in the low-temperature limit. In this limit we can determine the auxiliary functions and the expressions for the eigenvalues as functions of a finite number of parameters which satisfy finite sets of algebraic equations, the so-called higher-level Bethe ansatz equations. The behaviour of these equations, if we send the temperature T to zero, is different for zero and non-zero magnetic field h . If h is zero the situation is much like in the case of the usual transfer matrix. Non-trivial higher-level Bethe ansatz equations remain which determine certain complex excitation parameters as functions of hole parameters which are free on a line segment in the complex plane. If h is non-zero, on the other hand, a remarkable restructuring occurs, and all parameters which enter the description of the quantum transfer matrix eigenvalues can be interpreted entirely in terms of particles and holes which are freely located on two curves when T goes to zero.
Abstract Evaluating a lattice path integral in terms of spectral data and matrix elements pertaining to a suitably defined quantum transfer matrix, we derive form-factor series expansions for the dynamical two-point functions of arbitrary local operators in fundamental Yang–Baxter integrable lattice models at finite temperature. The summands in the series are parameterised by solutions of the Bethe Ansatz equations associated with the eigenvalue problem of the quantum transfer matrix. We elaborate on the example of the XXZ chain for which the solutions of the Bethe Ansatz equations are sufficiently well understood in certain limiting cases. We work out in detail the case of the spin-zero operators in the antiferromagnetic massive regime at zero temperature. In this case the thermal form-factor series turn into series of multiple integrals with fully explicit integrands. These integrands factorize into an operator-dependent part, determined by the so-called Fermionic basis, and a part which we call the universal weight as it is the same for all spin-zero operators. The universal weight can be inferred from our previous work. The operator-dependent part is rather simple for the most interesting short-range operators. It is determined by two functions ρ and ω for which we obtain explicit expressions in the considered case. As an application we rederive the known explicit form-factor series for the two-point function of the magnetization operator and obtain analogous expressions for the magnetic current and the energy operators.
We review recent results on the Bethe Ansatz solutions for the eigenvalues of the transfer matrix of an integrable open XXZ quantum spin chain using functional relations which the transfer matrix obeys at roots of unity. First, we consider a case where at most two of the boundary parameters {{alpha−\\alpha_-alpha−​,alpha+\\alpha_+alpha+​,beta−\\beta_-beta−​,beta+\\beta_+beta+​}} are nonzero. A generalization of the Baxter T−QT-QT−Q equation that involves more than one independent QQQ is described. We use this solution to compute the boundary energy of the chain in the thermodynamic limit. We conclude the paper with a review of some results for the general integrable boundary terms, where all six boundary parameters are arbitrary.
Baxter's Q-operator for the quantum transfer matrix of the XXZ spin-chain is constructed employing the representation theory of quantum groups. The spectrum of this Q-operator is discussed and novel functional relations which describe the finite temperature regime of the XXZ spin-chain are derived. For non-vanishing magnetic field the previously known Bethe ansatz equations can be replaced by a system of quadratic equations which is an important advantage for numerical studies. For vanishing magnetic field and rational coupling values it is argued that the quantum transfer matrix exhibits a loop algebra symmetry closely related to the one of the classical six-vertex transfer matrix at roots of unity.
The quantum mechanical analogue of the classical Perk - Schultz model is considered which comprises the Uimin - Sutherland model and the integrable t - J chain. The quantum transfer matrix of these systems is established and the eigenvalue equations are obtained by an algebraic Bethe ansatz. Only the largest eigenvalue is needed for the calculation of the free energy of the quantum chain at finite temperature. The Bethe ansatz equations for the leading eigenvalue are transformed into a set of integral equations for some appropriately defined auxiliary functions. Furthermore, the eigenvalue of the quantum transfer matrix is expressed in terms of these functions. The integral formulation allows for taking the limit of infinite Trotter - Suzuki number analytically. The low-temperature limit of the free energy is obtained analytically and for intermediate temperatures numerical results are presented.
Abstract We use the form factors of the quantum transfer matrix in the zero-temperature limit in order to study the two-point ground-state correlation functions of the XXZ chain in the antiferromagnetic massive regime. We obtain novel form factor series representations of the correlation functions which differ from those derived either from the q -vertex-operator approach or from the algebraic Bethe Ansatz approach to the usual transfer matrix. We advocate that our novel representations are numerically more efficient and allow for a straightforward calculation of the large-distance asymptotic behaviour of the two-point functions. Keeping control over the temperature corrections to the two-point functions we see that these are of order T ∞ in the whole antiferromagnetic massive regime. The isotropic limit of our result yields a novel form factor series representation for the two-point correlation functions of the XXX chain at zero magnetic field.