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 Letters

Scaling Studies of Highly Disordered Spin-½ Antiferromagnetic Systems

R. N. Bhatt, Patrick A. Lee

Published Feb 1, 1982• 426 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A numerical method is developed to study the scaling of distribution of couplings of highly random antiferromagnetic Ising and quantum Heisenberg spin-\textonehalf{} systems. The method shows how freezing into inert local singlets prevents ordering down to temperatures well below the median nearest-neighbor coupling or bare exchange percolation threshold in positionally disordered systems with Heisenberg exchange varying exponentially with distance (e.g., doped semiconductors, quasi one-dimensional salts). This is contrasted with the Ising system.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.48.344

Related papers

A scaling method for low temperature behavior of random antiferromagnetic systems (invited)

R. N. Bhatt, Patrick A. Lee

Low temperature properties of random antiferromagnetic Heisenberg spin-1/2 systems with a wide distribution of exchange couplings are examined using a scaling technique. The method iteratively discards the irrelevant high energy excitations of strongly coupled clusters, while retaining the low lying states which are reproduced by an equivalent smaller cluster. The method is applied to n-doped semiconductors, a spatially random three dimensional system of spin-1/2 donors with Heisenberg exchange varying exponentially with separation. It shows how the system does not order down to temperatures well below the median nearest neighbor exchange. Comparison is made with the corresponding system in two dimensions and the one-dimensional random antiferromagnetic chain (applicable to certain organic charge transfer salts), as well as with the case of Ising spins in three dimensions.

Journal of Applied Physics•Mar 1, 1981•62 citations

Antiferromagnetic order in weakly coupled random spin chains

J. Kokalj, J. Herbrych, A. Zheludev +1 more

The ordering of weakly coupled random antiferromagnetic $S=1/2$ chains, as relevant for the recent experimentally investigated spin chain materials, is considered theoretically. The one-dimensional isotropic Heisenberg model with random exchange interactions is treated numerically on finite chains with the density-matrix renormalization-group approach as well as with the standard renormalization analysis, both within the mean-field approximation for interchain coupling ${J}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}$. Results for the ordering temperature ${T}_{N}$ and for the ordered moment ${m}_{0}$ are presented and are both reduced with increasing disorder, agreeing with the experimental observations. The most pronounced effect of the random singlet concept appears to be a very large span of local ordered moments, becoming wider with decreasing ${J}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}$, consistent with the $\ensuremath{\mu}$-SR experimental findings.

arXiv:1409.1757•Physical Review B•Apr 27, 2015•6 citations

Non-Heisenberg couplings and ferromagnetic instability in a random antiferromagnetic spin-1 chain

R. N. Bhatt, Kun Yang

A random antiferromagnetic spin-1 chain with both Heisenberg and biquadratic nearest neighbor couplings is found to exhibit a novel ferromagnetic-like instability at low energies, if there is competition between the Heisenberg and biquadratic couplings, even though each individual nearest neighbor coupling is such as to produce a singlet ground state for the isolated pair. This instability leads to the generation of ferromagnetic couplings, and thus to the formation of weakly coupled large moments at low temperatures. A perturbative calculation (up to 4th order) is performed to investigate whether such a situation is physically realizable in spin-1 systems.

Journal of Applied Physics•Jun 1, 1998•7 citations

Disorder Induced Phase Transition in a Two-Dimensional Random Quantum Antiferromagnet

Anders W. Sandvik, Marco Vekić

A two-dimensional Heisenberg model with random antiferromagnetic nearest-neighbor exchange is studied using quantum Monte Carlo techniques. As the strength of the randomness is increased, the system undergoes a transition from an antiferromagnetically ordered ground state to a gapless disordered state. The finite-size scaling of the staggered structure factor and susceptibility is consistent with a dynamic exponent $z=2$.

arXiv:cond-mat/9406025•Physical Review Letters•Feb 13, 1995•36 citations

Ising Model with Antiferromagnetic Next-Nearest-Neighbor Coupling: Spin Correlations and Disorder Points

John Stephenson

The existence of a disorder point ${T}_{D}$ is established for some one- and two-dimensional Ising lattices with antiferromagnetic next-nearest-neighbor interactions. Within the disordered phase, the decay of axial next-nearest-neighbor pair correlations with increasing spin separation is positive monotonic exponential below ${T}_{D}$ and oscillatory with exponential envelope above ${T}_{D}$. A general definition of a disorder point is formulated, and a method of estimating ${T}_{D}$ described.

Physical review. B, Solid state•Jun 1, 1970•103 citations

Random exchange effects in antiferromagnetic quantum spin chains: A Monte Carlo study

H.-B. Schüttler, Douglas J. Scalapino, Paul Michael Grant

We have carried out Monte Carlo studies of a random-exchange antiferromagnetic spin-(1/2) chain. For systems with XY-like (anisotropic) and with Heisenberg (isotropic) coupling, our results confirm the existence of a disorder-induced low-temperature (T) divergence in the long-wavelength ${S}^{z}$-${S}^{z}$ susceptibility \ensuremath{\chi} which was previously predicted by real-space renormalization-group (RSRG) treatments. Over the finite temperature range studied, these results are consistent with a 1/(T ${\mathrm{ln}}^{2}$T) behavior of \ensuremath{\chi}, and hence in qualitative agreement with the RSRG results. As in the XY-Heisenberg regime, we also find a disorder-induced enhancement of the low-T susceptibility for a system with Ising-like exchange coupling which, over the finite temperature range studied, is again consistent with RSRG results. However, there are inconsistencies between the RSRG predictions in the Ising-like regime at very low temperatures, and the exact results for the random-exchange Ising chain and the low-temperature behavior of \ensuremath{\chi} in the Ising-like regime may in fact be more complicated than predicted by RSRG. Finally, we also present results for the antiferromagnetic susceptibility and structure factor. For both Heisenberg and Ising-like systems, we find that disorder suppresses the long-range antiferromagnetic correlations at low T.

Physical review. B, Condensed matter•Mar 1, 1987•8 citations
A numerical method is developed to study the scaling of distribution of couplings of highly random antiferromagnetic Ising and quantum Heisenberg spin-\textonehalf{} systems. The method shows how freezing into inert local singlets prevents ordering down to temperatures well below the median nearest-neighbor coupling or bare exchange percolation threshold in positionally disordered systems with Heisenberg exchange varying exponentially with distance (e.g., doped semiconductors, quasi one-dimensional salts). This is contrasted with the Ising system.
Low temperature properties of random antiferromagnetic Heisenberg spin-1/2 systems with a wide distribution of exchange couplings are examined using a scaling technique. The method iteratively discards the irrelevant high energy excitations of strongly coupled clusters, while retaining the low lying states which are reproduced by an equivalent smaller cluster. The method is applied to n-doped semiconductors, a spatially random three dimensional system of spin-1/2 donors with Heisenberg exchange varying exponentially with separation. It shows how the system does not order down to temperatures well below the median nearest neighbor exchange. Comparison is made with the corresponding system in two dimensions and the one-dimensional random antiferromagnetic chain (applicable to certain organic charge transfer salts), as well as with the case of Ising spins in three dimensions.
The ordering of weakly coupled random antiferromagnetic S=1/2S=1/2S=1/2 chains, as relevant for the recent experimentally investigated spin chain materials, is considered theoretically. The one-dimensional isotropic Heisenberg model with random exchange interactions is treated numerically on finite chains with the density-matrix renormalization-group approach as well as with the standard renormalization analysis, both within the mean-field approximation for interchain coupling ${J}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}$. Results for the ordering temperature TN{T}_{N}TN​ and for the ordered moment m0{m}_{0}m0​ are presented and are both reduced with increasing disorder, agreeing with the experimental observations. The most pronounced effect of the random singlet concept appears to be a very large span of local ordered moments, becoming wider with decreasing ${J}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}$, consistent with the $\ensuremath{\mu}$-SR experimental findings.
A random antiferromagnetic spin-1 chain with both Heisenberg and biquadratic nearest neighbor couplings is found to exhibit a novel ferromagnetic-like instability at low energies, if there is competition between the Heisenberg and biquadratic couplings, even though each individual nearest neighbor coupling is such as to produce a singlet ground state for the isolated pair. This instability leads to the generation of ferromagnetic couplings, and thus to the formation of weakly coupled large moments at low temperatures. A perturbative calculation (up to 4th order) is performed to investigate whether such a situation is physically realizable in spin-1 systems.
A two-dimensional Heisenberg model with random antiferromagnetic nearest-neighbor exchange is studied using quantum Monte Carlo techniques. As the strength of the randomness is increased, the system undergoes a transition from an antiferromagnetically ordered ground state to a gapless disordered state. The finite-size scaling of the staggered structure factor and susceptibility is consistent with a dynamic exponent z=2z=2z=2.
The existence of a disorder point TD{T}_{D}TD​ is established for some one- and two-dimensional Ising lattices with antiferromagnetic next-nearest-neighbor interactions. Within the disordered phase, the decay of axial next-nearest-neighbor pair correlations with increasing spin separation is positive monotonic exponential below TD{T}_{D}TD​ and oscillatory with exponential envelope above TD{T}_{D}TD​. A general definition of a disorder point is formulated, and a method of estimating TD{T}_{D}TD​ described.
We have carried out Monte Carlo studies of a random-exchange antiferromagnetic spin-(1/2) chain. For systems with XY-like (anisotropic) and with Heisenberg (isotropic) coupling, our results confirm the existence of a disorder-induced low-temperature (T) divergence in the long-wavelength Sz{S}^{z}Sz-Sz{S}^{z}Sz susceptibility \ensuremath{\chi} which was previously predicted by real-space renormalization-group (RSRG) treatments. Over the finite temperature range studied, these results are consistent with a 1/(T ln2{\mathrm{ln}}^{2}ln2T) behavior of \ensuremath{\chi}, and hence in qualitative agreement with the RSRG results. As in the XY-Heisenberg regime, we also find a disorder-induced enhancement of the low-T susceptibility for a system with Ising-like exchange coupling which, over the finite temperature range studied, is again consistent with RSRG results. However, there are inconsistencies between the RSRG predictions in the Ising-like regime at very low temperatures, and the exact results for the random-exchange Ising chain and the low-temperature behavior of \ensuremath{\chi} in the Ising-like regime may in fact be more complicated than predicted by RSRG. Finally, we also present results for the antiferromagnetic susceptibility and structure factor. For both Heisenberg and Ising-like systems, we find that disorder suppresses the long-range antiferromagnetic correlations at low T.