The ground state of the spin-\textonehalf{} Heisenberg model with antiferromagnetic coupling on a square lattice is analyzed in terms of nearest-neighbor resonating pair-bond states. Extrapolating from finite lattice calculations it is found that the pair-bond state provides a much closer variational estimate of the ground-state energy than the widely used Gutzwiller wave function. The effect of an orthorhombic distortion of the square lattice, such as that observed in the Cu-O planes in the high-
Tc oxides, on the spin state is analyzed by exact calculation for finite lattices. From total-energy considerations it is found that the system has a slight tendency towards such a lattice distortion.
We study spin-1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnets on a diamond-like-decorated square lattice. The diamond-like-decorated square lattice is a lattice in which the bonds in a square lattice are replaced with diamond units. The diamond unit has two types of antiferromagnetic exchange interactions, and the ratio λ of the diagonal bond strength to that of the other four edges controls the frustration strength. For 0.974 < λ < 2, the present system has a nontrivial macroscopic degeneracy, which is called the macroscopically degenerated tetramer-dimer (MDTD) states. The MDTD states are identical to the Hilbert space of the Rokhsar–Kivelson (RK) quantum dimer model (QDM). By introducing further neighbor couplings in the MDTD states, we calculate the second-order effective Hamiltonian, which is exactly the same as the square-lattice QDM with a finite hopping amplitude t and dimer-dimer interaction v. Furthermore, we calculate v/|t| as a function of the ratio λ in the Heisenberg model and examine which phases of the square-lattice QDM appear in our obtained states. Our obtained QDM has a region where λ exhibits a finite hopping amplitude (|t| > 0) and repulsive interaction between dimers (v > 0). This suggests the possibility of realizing the resonating valence bond (RVB) state because the RVB state is obtained at v = |t|, which is known as the RK point.
The doping of quantum Heisenberg antiferromagnets on the kagome lattice by nonmagnetic impurities is investigated within the framework of a generalized quantum dimer model (QDM) describing (a) the valence-bond crystal (VBC), (b) the dimer liquid, and (c) the critical region on equal footing. Following the approach by Ralko et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 117204 (2008)] for the square and triangular lattices, we introduce the (minimal) extension of the QDM on the kagome lattice to account for spontaneous creation of mobile
S=1/2 spinons at finite magnetic field. Modulations of the dimer density (at zero or finite magnetic field) and of the local field-induced magnetization in the vicinity of impurities are computed using Lanczos exact diagonalization techniques on small clusters (48 and 75 sites). The VBC is clearly revealed from its pinning by impurities, while, in the dimer liquid, crystallization around impurities involves only two neighboring dimers. We also find that a next-nearest-neighbor ferromagnetic coupling favors VBC order. Unexpectedly, a small-size spinon-impurity bound state appears in some region of the dimer-liquid phase. In contrast, in the VBC phase the spinon delocalizes within a large region around the impurity, revealing the weakness of the VBC confining potential. Lastly, we observe that an impurity concentration as small as 4% enhances dimerization substantially. These results are confronted to the valence-bond glass scenario [R. R. P. Singh, Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 177203 (2010)] and implications to the interpretation of the nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of the Herbertsmithite compound are outlined.