Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Physical review. B, Condensed matter

Ground states and excitations of a one-dimensionalkagomé-like antiferromagnet

Ch. Waldtmann, H. Kreutzmann, Ulrich Schollwöck, K. Maisinger, H. U. Everts

Published Oct 1, 2000• 35 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We study a Heisenberg antiferromagnet (AF) on a one-dimensional strip composed of two rows of corner sharing triangular plaquettes. The geometry of this ladder-like lattice naturally allows for two different exchange couplings, one between pairs of spins on the outer legs (J) and a different one between the spins on the axis and their nearest neighbors on the legs ${(J}^{\ensuremath{'}}).$ For ${J/J}^{\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{\lesssim}0.5$ the model is a ferrimagnet. Our main interest is in the region ${J/J}^{\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{\gtrsim}0.5,$ where the classical ground state of this system shows the same macroscopic degeneracy as the classical ground state of the antiferromagnet on the kagom\'e lattice. To explore to which extent this similarity between the classical ground states of these two models carries over to their quantum states we have applied exact diagonalization techniques and density-matrix renormalization group (DMRG) methods to our model. Exact diagonalization is restricted to system sizes of up to $N=30$ sites. For ${J/J}^{\ensuremath{'}}=1,$ the results obtained by this technique, low-energy spectra, correlation functions and the specific heat, agree qualitatively with the results obtained for finite samples of the kagom\'e AF. As in the case of the kagom\'e AF, these finite size results suggest that our model is a spin liquid with a gap between the ground state and the lowest spin excitation. However, extrapolations from DMRG data for strips of up to $N=120$ sites point towards a vanishing spin gap in a wide range of couplings, $0.5\ensuremath{\lesssim}{J/J}^{\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{\lesssim}1.25,$ so that contrary to the above conjecture, our one-dimensional model may in fact be critical in this parameter range. Moreover, our DMRG data indicate that the model undergoes a transition to a gapped state as the ratio ${J/J}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ increases through the value ${J/J}^{\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{\simeq}1.25.$ In the vicinity of the transition point, a high density of low-lying singlets develops in the spin gap.

DOI
10.1103/physrevb.62.9472

Related papers

From the triangular to the kagome lattice: Following the footprints of the ordered state

Liliana Arrachea, Luca Capriotti, Sandro Sorella

We study the spin-$1∕2$ Heisenberg model in a lattice that interpolates between the triangular and the kagome lattices. The exchange interaction along the bonds of the kagome lattice is $J$, and the one along the bonds connecting kagome and nonkagome sites is ${J}^{\ensuremath{'}}$, so that ${J}^{\ensuremath{'}}=J$ corresponds to the triangular limit and ${J}^{\ensuremath{'}}=0$ to the kagome one. We use variational and exact diagonalization techniques. We analyze the behavior of the order parameter for the antiferromagnetic phase of the triangular lattice, the spin gap, and the structure of the spin excitations as functions of ${J}^{\ensuremath{'}}∕J$. Our results indicate that the antiferromagnetic order is not affected by the reduction of ${J}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ down to ${J}^{\ensuremath{'}}∕J\ensuremath{\simeq}0.2$. Below this value, antiferromagnetic correlations grow weaker, a description of the ground state in terms of a N\'eel phase renormalized by quantum fluctuations becomes inadequate, and the finite-size spectra develop features that are not compatible with antiferromagnetic ordering. However, this phase does not appear to be connected to the kagome phase as well, as the low-energy spectra do not evolve with continuity for ${J}^{\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0$ to the kagome limit. In particular, for any nonzero value of ${J}^{\ensuremath{'}}$, the latter interaction sets the energy scale for the low-lying spin excitations, and a gapless triplet spectrum, destabilizing the kagome phase, is expected.

arXiv:cond-mat/0311538•Physical Review B•Jun 29, 2004•10 citations

Spin-Liquid Ground State of the S = 1/2 Kagome Heisenberg Antiferromagnet

Simeng Yan, David A. Huse, Steven R. White

We use the density matrix renormalization group to perform accurate calculations of the ground state of the nearest-neighbor quantum spin S = 1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet on the kagome lattice. We study this model on numerous long cylinders with circumferences up to 12 lattice spacings. Through a combination of very-low-energy and small finite-size effects, our results provide strong evidence that, for the infinite two-dimensional system, the ground state of this model is a fully gapped spin liquid.

arXiv:1011.6114•Science•Apr 29, 2011•1,240 citations

Spin-1/2 string correlations and singlet-triplet gaps of frustrated ladders with ferromagnetic (F) legs and alternate F and AF rungs

Chatterjee, Monalisa, Manoranjan Kumar, Z. G. Soos

The frustrated ladder with alternate ferromagnetic(F) exchange $-J_F$ and AF exchange $J_A$ to first neighbors and F exchange $-J_L$ to second neighbors is studied by exact diagonalization (ED) and density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) calculations in systems of $2N$ spins-1/2 with periodic boundary conditions. The ground state is a singlet $(S = 0)$ and the singlet-triplet gap $\varepsilon_T$ is finite for the exchanges considered. Spin-1/2 string correlation functions $g_1(N)$ and $g_2(N)$ are defined for an even number $N$ of consecutive spins in systems with two spins per unit cell; the ladder has string order $g_2(\infty)> 0$ and $g_1(\infty) = 0$. The minimum $N^*$ of $g_2(N)$ is related to the range of ground-state spin correlations. Convergence to $g_2(\infty)$ is from below, and $g_1(N)$ decreases exponentially for $N \geq N^*$. Singlet valence bond (VB) diagrams account for the size dependencies. The frustrated ladder at special values of $J_F$, $J_L$ and $J_A$ reduces to well-known models such as the spin-1 Heisenberg antiferromagnet and the $J_1-J_2$ model, among others. Numerical analysis of ladders matches previous results for spin-1 gaps or string correlation functions and extends them to spin-1/2 systems. The nondegenerate singlet ground state of ladder is a bond-order wave, a Kekulé VB diagrams at $J_L = J_F/2 \leq J_A$, that is reversed on interchanging $-J_F$ and $J_A$. Inversion symmetry is spontaneously broken in the dimer phase of the $J_1-J_2$ model where the Kekulé diagrams are the doubly degenerate ground states at $J_2/J_1 = 1/2$.

arXiv:2403.05238•Mar 8, 2024•0 citations

Ground state and low-energy excitations of the Kitaev-Heisenberg two-leg ladder

Cliò Efthimia Agrapidis, Jeroen van den Brink, Satoshi Nishimoto

We study the ground state and low-lying excited states of the Kitaev-Heisenberg model on a two-leg ladder geometry using the density-matrix renormalization-group and Lanczos exact diagonalization methods. The Kitaev and Heisenberg interactions are parametrized as $K=sin\ensuremath{\phi}$ and $J=cos\ensuremath{\phi}$ with an angle parameter $\ensuremath{\phi}$. Based on the results for several types of order parameters, excitation gaps, string order parameter, and entanglement spectra, the $\ensuremath{\phi}$-dependent ground state phase diagram is determined. Remarkably, the phase diagram is quite similar to that of the Kitaev-Heisenberg model on a honeycomb lattice, exhibiting the same long-range-ordered states, namely rung singlet (analog to N\'eel in three dimensions), zigzag, ferromagnetic, and stripy, and the presence of gapped spin liquids around the exactly solvable Kitaev points $\ensuremath{\phi}=\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}\ensuremath{\pi}/2$. We also calculate the expectation value of a plaquette operator corresponding to a $\ensuremath{\pi}$-flux state in order to establish how the gapped Kitaev spin liquid extends away from the $\ensuremath{\phi}=\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}\ensuremath{\pi}/2$. Furthermore, we determine the dynamical spin structure factor and discuss the effect of the Kitaev interaction on the spin-triplet dispersion.

arXiv:1902.00466•Physical review. B./Physical review. B•Jun 13, 2019•43 citations

Frustrated spin- 1 2 Heisenberg model on a kagome-strip chain: Dimerization and mapping to a spin-orbital Kugel-Khomskii model

S. K. Ghosh, Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Manoranjan Kumar

We investigate the quantum phases of a frustrated antiferromagnetic Heisenberg spin-1/2 model Hamiltonian on a kagom\'e-strip chain (KSC), a one-dimensional analog of the kagom\'e lattice, and construct its phase diagram in an extended exchange-parameter space. The isolated unit cell of this lattice comprises of five spin-1/2 particles, giving rise to several types of magnetic ground states in a unit cell: a spin-$3/2$ state as well as spin-$1/2$ states with and without additional degeneracies. We explore the ground-state properties of the fully connected thermodynamic system using exact diagonalization and density matrix renormalization group methods, identifying several distinct quantum phases. All but one of the phases exhibit gapless spin excitations. The exception is a dimerized spin-gapped phase that covers a large part of the phase diagram and includes the uniformly exchange coupled system. We argue that this phase can be understood by perturbing around the limit of decoupled unit cells where each unit cell has six degenerate ground states. We use degenerate perturbation theory to obtain an effective Hamiltonian, a Kugel-Khomskii model with an anisotropic spin-one orbital degree of freedom, which helps explain the origin of dimerization.

Physical review. B./Physical review. B•Jan 7, 2025•3 citations

DMRG Numerical Study of the Kagomé Antiferromagnet

Hong‐Chen Jiang, Zheng-Yu Weng, D. N. Sheng

We numerically study the spin-1/2 antiferromagnetic Heisenberg model on the kagomé lattice using the density-matrix renormalization group (DMRG) method. We find that the ground state is a magnetically disordered spin liquid, characterized by an exponential decay of spin-spin correlation function in real space and a magnetic structure factor showing system-size independent peaks at commersurate antiferromangetic wavevectors. We obtain a spin triplet excitation gap $ΔE(S=1)=0.055\pm 0.005$ by extrapolation based on the large size results, and confirm the presence of gapless singlet excitations. The physical nature of such an exotic spin liquid is also discussed.

arXiv:0804.1616•Apr 10, 2008•0 citations
We study a Heisenberg antiferromagnet (AF) on a one-dimensional strip composed of two rows of corner sharing triangular plaquettes. The geometry of this ladder-like lattice naturally allows for two different exchange couplings, one between pairs of spins on the outer legs (J) and a different one between the spins on the axis and their nearest neighbors on the legs (J\ensuremath′).{(J}^{\ensuremath{'}}).(J\ensuremath′). For J/J\ensuremath′\ensuremath≲0.5{J/J}^{\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{\lesssim}0.5J/J\ensuremath′\ensuremath≲0.5 the model is a ferrimagnet. Our main interest is in the region J/J\ensuremath′\ensuremath≳0.5,{J/J}^{\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{\gtrsim}0.5,J/J\ensuremath′\ensuremath≳0.5, where the classical ground state of this system shows the same macroscopic degeneracy as the classical ground state of the antiferromagnet on the kagom'e lattice. To explore to which extent this similarity between the classical ground states of these two models carries over to their quantum states we have applied exact diagonalization techniques and density-matrix renormalization group (DMRG) methods to our model. Exact diagonalization is restricted to system sizes of up to N=30N=30N=30 sites. For J/J\ensuremath′=1,{J/J}^{\ensuremath{'}}=1,J/J\ensuremath′=1, the results obtained by this technique, low-energy spectra, correlation functions and the specific heat, agree qualitatively with the results obtained for finite samples of the kagom'e AF. As in the case of the kagom'e AF, these finite size results suggest that our model is a spin liquid with a gap between the ground state and the lowest spin excitation. However, extrapolations from DMRG data for strips of up to N=120N=120N=120 sites point towards a vanishing spin gap in a wide range of couplings, 0.5\ensuremath≲J/J\ensuremath′\ensuremath≲1.25,0.5\ensuremath{\lesssim}{J/J}^{\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{\lesssim}1.25,0.5\ensuremath≲J/J\ensuremath′\ensuremath≲1.25, so that contrary to the above conjecture, our one-dimensional model may in fact be critical in this parameter range. Moreover, our DMRG data indicate that the model undergoes a transition to a gapped state as the ratio J/J\ensuremath′{J/J}^{\ensuremath{'}}J/J\ensuremath′ increases through the value J/J\ensuremath′\ensuremath≃1.25.{J/J}^{\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{\simeq}1.25.J/J\ensuremath′\ensuremath≃1.25. In the vicinity of the transition point, a high density of low-lying singlets develops in the spin gap.
We study the spin-1∕21∕21∕2 Heisenberg model in a lattice that interpolates between the triangular and the kagome lattices. The exchange interaction along the bonds of the kagome lattice is JJJ, and the one along the bonds connecting kagome and nonkagome sites is ${J}^{\ensuremath{'}}$, so that ${J}^{\ensuremath{'}}=J$ corresponds to the triangular limit and ${J}^{\ensuremath{'}}=0$ to the kagome one. We use variational and exact diagonalization techniques. We analyze the behavior of the order parameter for the antiferromagnetic phase of the triangular lattice, the spin gap, and the structure of the spin excitations as functions of ${J}^{\ensuremath{'}}∕J$. Our results indicate that the antiferromagnetic order is not affected by the reduction of ${J}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ down to ${J}^{\ensuremath{'}}∕J\ensuremath{\simeq}0.2$. Below this value, antiferromagnetic correlations grow weaker, a description of the ground state in terms of a N\'eel phase renormalized by quantum fluctuations becomes inadequate, and the finite-size spectra develop features that are not compatible with antiferromagnetic ordering. However, this phase does not appear to be connected to the kagome phase as well, as the low-energy spectra do not evolve with continuity for ${J}^{\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0$ to the kagome limit. In particular, for any nonzero value of ${J}^{\ensuremath{'}}$, the latter interaction sets the energy scale for the low-lying spin excitations, and a gapless triplet spectrum, destabilizing the kagome phase, is expected.
We use the density matrix renormalization group to perform accurate calculations of the ground state of the nearest-neighbor quantum spin S = 1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet on the kagome lattice. We study this model on numerous long cylinders with circumferences up to 12 lattice spacings. Through a combination of very-low-energy and small finite-size effects, our results provide strong evidence that, for the infinite two-dimensional system, the ground state of this model is a fully gapped spin liquid.
The frustrated ladder with alternate ferromagnetic(F) exchange −JF-J_F−JF​ and AF exchange JAJ_AJA​ to first neighbors and F exchange −JL-J_L−JL​ to second neighbors is studied by exact diagonalization (ED) and density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) calculations in systems of 2N2N2N spins-1/2 with periodic boundary conditions. The ground state is a singlet (S=0)(S = 0)(S=0) and the singlet-triplet gap εT\varepsilon_TεT​ is finite for the exchanges considered. Spin-1/2 string correlation functions g1(N)g_1(N)g1​(N) and g2(N)g_2(N)g2​(N) are defined for an even number NNN of consecutive spins in systems with two spins per unit cell; the ladder has string order g2(∞)>0g_2(\infty)> 0g2​(∞)>0 and g1(∞)=0g_1(\infty) = 0g1​(∞)=0. The minimum N∗N^*N∗ of g2(N)g_2(N)g2​(N) is related to the range of ground-state spin correlations. Convergence to g2(∞)g_2(\infty)g2​(∞) is from below, and g1(N)g_1(N)g1​(N) decreases exponentially for N≥N∗N \geq N^*N≥N∗. Singlet valence bond (VB) diagrams account for the size dependencies. The frustrated ladder at special values of JFJ_FJF​, JLJ_LJL​ and JAJ_AJA​ reduces to well-known models such as the spin-1 Heisenberg antiferromagnet and the J1−J2J_1-J_2J1​−J2​ model, among others. Numerical analysis of ladders matches previous results for spin-1 gaps or string correlation functions and extends them to spin-1/2 systems. The nondegenerate singlet ground state of ladder is a bond-order wave, a Kekulé VB diagrams at JL=JF/2≤JAJ_L = J_F/2 \leq J_AJL​=JF​/2≤JA​, that is reversed on interchanging −JF-J_F−JF​ and JAJ_AJA​. Inversion symmetry is spontaneously broken in the dimer phase of the J1−J2J_1-J_2J1​−J2​ model where the Kekulé diagrams are the doubly degenerate ground states at J2/J1=1/2J_2/J_1 = 1/2J2​/J1​=1/2.
We study the ground state and low-lying excited states of the Kitaev-Heisenberg model on a two-leg ladder geometry using the density-matrix renormalization-group and Lanczos exact diagonalization methods. The Kitaev and Heisenberg interactions are parametrized as $K=sin\ensuremath{\phi}$ and $J=cos\ensuremath{\phi}$ with an angle parameter $\ensuremath{\phi}$. Based on the results for several types of order parameters, excitation gaps, string order parameter, and entanglement spectra, the $\ensuremath{\phi}$-dependent ground state phase diagram is determined. Remarkably, the phase diagram is quite similar to that of the Kitaev-Heisenberg model on a honeycomb lattice, exhibiting the same long-range-ordered states, namely rung singlet (analog to N\'eel in three dimensions), zigzag, ferromagnetic, and stripy, and the presence of gapped spin liquids around the exactly solvable Kitaev points $\ensuremath{\phi}=\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}\ensuremath{\pi}/2$. We also calculate the expectation value of a plaquette operator corresponding to a $\ensuremath{\pi}$-flux state in order to establish how the gapped Kitaev spin liquid extends away from the $\ensuremath{\phi}=\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}\ensuremath{\pi}/2$. Furthermore, we determine the dynamical spin structure factor and discuss the effect of the Kitaev interaction on the spin-triplet dispersion.
We investigate the quantum phases of a frustrated antiferromagnetic Heisenberg spin-1/2 model Hamiltonian on a kagom\'e-strip chain (KSC), a one-dimensional analog of the kagom\'e lattice, and construct its phase diagram in an extended exchange-parameter space. The isolated unit cell of this lattice comprises of five spin-1/2 particles, giving rise to several types of magnetic ground states in a unit cell: a spin-3/23/23/2 state as well as spin-1/21/21/2 states with and without additional degeneracies. We explore the ground-state properties of the fully connected thermodynamic system using exact diagonalization and density matrix renormalization group methods, identifying several distinct quantum phases. All but one of the phases exhibit gapless spin excitations. The exception is a dimerized spin-gapped phase that covers a large part of the phase diagram and includes the uniformly exchange coupled system. We argue that this phase can be understood by perturbing around the limit of decoupled unit cells where each unit cell has six degenerate ground states. We use degenerate perturbation theory to obtain an effective Hamiltonian, a Kugel-Khomskii model with an anisotropic spin-one orbital degree of freedom, which helps explain the origin of dimerization.
We numerically study the spin-1/2 antiferromagnetic Heisenberg model on the kagomé lattice using the density-matrix renormalization group (DMRG) method. We find that the ground state is a magnetically disordered spin liquid, characterized by an exponential decay of spin-spin correlation function in real space and a magnetic structure factor showing system-size independent peaks at commersurate antiferromangetic wavevectors. We obtain a spin triplet excitation gap ΔE(S=1)=0.055±0.005ΔE(S=1)=0.055\pm 0.005ΔE(S=1)=0.055±0.005 by extrapolation based on the large size results, and confirm the presence of gapless singlet excitations. The physical nature of such an exotic spin liquid is also discussed.