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

Journal of Applied Physics

Finite-size scaling and integer-spin Heisenberg chains

Jill C. Bonner, Gerhard H. Muller

Published Mar 15, 1984• 5 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Finite-size scaling (phenomenological renormalization) techniques are trusted and widely applied in low-dimensional magnetism and, particularly, in lattice gauge field theory. Recently, investigations have begun which subject the theoretical basis to systematic and intensive scrutiny to determine the validity of finite-size scaling in a variety of situations. The 2D ANNNI model is an example of a situation where finite-size scaling methods encounter difficulty, related to the occurrence of a disorder line (one-dimensional line). A second example concerns the behavior of the spin-1/2 antiferromagnetic XXZ model where the T=0 critical behavior is exactly known and features an essential singularity at the isotropic Heisenberg point. Standard finite-size scaling techniques do not convincingly reproduce the exact phase behavior and this is attributable to the essential singularity. The point is relevant in connection with a finite-size scaling analysis of a spin-one antiferromagnetic XXZ model, which claims to support a conjecture by Haldane that the T=0 phase behavior of integer-spin Heisenberg chains is significantly different from that of half-integer-spin Heisenberg chains.

DOI
10.1063/1.333673

Related papers

Generalized Heisenberg quantum spin chains (invited)

Jill C. Bonner

Since the Heisenberg spin chain can be considered the simplest realistic model of magnetism, surprise and some degree of controversy have resulted from recent work of Haldane. The prediction is that quantum spin chains with half-integer spin should all display T=0 phase behavior equivalent to that of the Bethe Ansatz integrable (solvable) spin-1/2 quantum chain. More remarkably, the class of integer spin chains is predicted to show very different phase behavior. In particular, a gap should be present in the spectrum of a Heisenberg antiferromagnetic chain. This remarkable feature is counterintuitive in terms of accepted wisdom in magnetism (spin-wave theory, spin-Peierls theory) and critical phenomena. Consequently the vertification of the prediction is of great interest. A considerable amount of numerical work has been done, involving finite-chain, finite-size scaling, variational, Monte Carlo and other calculations, which will be reviewed here. The present consensus is that the weight of numerical evidence supports the prediction, although puzzling features still remain. Adding additional interactions to the basic Heisenberg Hamiltonian such as spin (XXZ) anisotropy, single-ion anisotropy, biquadratic exchange, and an applied magnetic field, generates a rich and complicated phase diagram for chains with spin >1/2, particularly for the case of integer spin. The s=1 phase diagram seems to display critical behavior of a type not previously encountered. A theoretical appraisal of the Haldane phenomenon will include a discussion of the possible role of nonintegrability. Mention will also be made of current progress in experimental investigation of the phenomenon, including problems that might be encountered. More recent work of Affleck has greatly generalized the field-theoretic mappings which underlay the original work of Haldane. A number of interesting problems have been mapped into quantum spin chains of various types, including field theoretic phenomena and the localization problem of the quantum Hall effect.

Journal of Applied Physics•Apr 15, 1987•40 citations

Finite-size scaling and phenomenological renormalization (invited)

Peter Nightingale

Research in recent years has shown that combining finite-size scaling theory with the transfer matrix technique yields a powerful tool for the investigation of critical behavior. In particular, the method has been used to study two-dimensional statistical mechanical and one-dimensional quantum mechanical systems. We review finite-size scaling theory from the general point of view of renormalization group theory for both continuous and first-order transitions (both for systems with discrete and continuous symmetries). We review applications where a comparison with exact results can be made. These include the Ising, Baxter, and q-state Potts models and the Ising model with a defect line. Various other applications such as quantum systems, the self-avoiding random walk, percolation, and Kosterlitz-Thouless transitions are briefly reviewed. The Kosterlitz-Thouless transitions and the critical fan in the antiferromagnetic 3-state Potts model are discussed at somewhat greater length.

Journal of Applied Physics•Nov 1, 1982•252 citations

Scaling behavior in the S=1 antiferromagnetic X X Z chain (abstract)

J. C. Bonner, Gerhard H. Muller, John B. Parkinson

A recent remarkable prediction by Haldane is the 1D integer spin antiferromagnets of XXZ type should show strikingly different T=0 phase behavior from their counterparts with half-integer spin. The consensus of a wide variety of numerical evidence is in support of the Haldane prediction. However, one aspect which has been particularly difficult to confirm has been the behavior in the vicinity of the critical point Δ=Δ2. The point Δ2 is predicted to be a second-order transition in the universality class of the transverse Ising model at its critical field. It has been numerically established that at Δ=Δ2∼1.18–1.20, the Haldane gap disappears and an excited SzT=0 state becomes degenerate with the SzT=0 ground state for Δ≥Δ2. The mapping to the transverse Ising model implies the existence in the limit N→∞ of an infinite continuum of scaling states quasi-degenerate with the ground state(s) at Δ=Δ2. Numerical calculations to determine the presence of these scaling states have been performed up to N=12 spins for the spin-1 XXZ model. The development of this scaling continuum is only apparent for large N, when a class of k=0, SzT=0 high-lying spectral excitations develop a minimum in the vicinity of Δ∼1.18 which intensifies with increasing N. These excitations extrapolate well below the lower edge of the triplet continuum, and we conclude these are the Haldane scaling states. This conclusion is reinforced by a detailed study of the corresponding excitations for the spin-1/2 transverse Ising model. However, we also find a class of k=0, ‖SzT‖=1 excitations which show similar scaling behavior in the vicinity of Δ2. These states were not included in the Haldane prediction. The implications for the behavior of the correlation functions at Δ2 are discussed.

Journal of Applied Physics•Apr 15, 1988•0 citations

Comment on "Ground-state properties of a spin-1 antiferromagnetic chain"

Jill C. Bonner, Gerhard H. Muller

Botet and Jullien [Phys. Rev. B 27, 613 (1983)] have conducted a finite-chain scaling analysis on the spin-1 antiferromagnetic Heisenberg-Ising chain. They claim that the ground-state properties are completely different from the case of spin $\frac{1}{2}$. Using finite-size scaling techniques, they conclude that between the $\mathrm{XY}$ gapless phase and the doublet-ground-state N\'eel phase, a new phase appears in an extended anisotropy range. This phase, which encompasses the isotropic Heisenberg model, is characterized by a nonmagnetic singlet ground state and a nonzero excitation-energy gap. We perform a similar finite-chain scaling analysis on the spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ antiferromagnetic Heisenberg-Ising chain and obtain strikingly similar results. Since the spin-$\frac{1}{4}$ system is known rigorously not to exhibit the type of behavior proposed by Botet and Jullien, their analysis is open to doubt. The possibility arises that a strong singularity at the Heisenberg point for spin 1 (similar to the essential singularity for spin $\frac{1}{2}$) may be giving rise to misleading results. The $T=0$ phase behavior of the spin-1 Heisenberg-Ising antiferromagnetic chain, therefore, remains in question and specific additional numerical studies are proposed to clarify the matter.

Physical review. B, Condensed matter•May 1, 1984•80 citations

Comparison of ground state properties for odd half-integer and integer spin antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chains

M. Kolb, Robert S. Botet, Rémi Jullien

Ground state properties of finite anisotropic antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chains are studied for odd half-integer spins S= 1 / 2 , 3 / 2 ... as well as integer spins S=1, 2 .... Finite size scaling analysis of the results clearly distinguishes the half-integer (S= 1 / 2 , 3 / 2 ) from the integer (S=1) spin situation. It gives strong support to a recent conjecture which postulates that the T=0 phase structure is very different in the two cases. According to this idea there exists a new phase between the planar and the antiferromagnetic region, for integer spins only. This phase, which includes the isotropic point, has a finite energy gap and no long range order.

Journal of Physics A Mathematical and General•Dec 1, 1983•75 citations

Finite-Size Scaling Study ofS=1XXZSpin Chain

Tôru Sakai, Minoru Takahashi

The S =1 XXZ spin chain is studied by the finite-size scaling and phenomenological renormalization-group technique up to N =16. It is found that a two-dimensional Ising-model-type transition exists at λ=1.188±0.007, and a Kosterlitz-Thouless-type transition exists at λ=-0.01±0.03. It agrees with Haldane's conjecture completely.

Journal of the Physical Society of Japan•Aug 15, 1990•47 citations
Finite-size scaling (phenomenological renormalization) techniques are trusted and widely applied in low-dimensional magnetism and, particularly, in lattice gauge field theory. Recently, investigations have begun which subject the theoretical basis to systematic and intensive scrutiny to determine the validity of finite-size scaling in a variety of situations. The 2D ANNNI model is an example of a situation where finite-size scaling methods encounter difficulty, related to the occurrence of a disorder line (one-dimensional line). A second example concerns the behavior of the spin-1/2 antiferromagnetic XXZ model where the T=0 critical behavior is exactly known and features an essential singularity at the isotropic Heisenberg point. Standard finite-size scaling techniques do not convincingly reproduce the exact phase behavior and this is attributable to the essential singularity. The point is relevant in connection with a finite-size scaling analysis of a spin-one antiferromagnetic XXZ model, which claims to support a conjecture by Haldane that the T=0 phase behavior of integer-spin Heisenberg chains is significantly different from that of half-integer-spin Heisenberg chains.
Since the Heisenberg spin chain can be considered the simplest realistic model of magnetism, surprise and some degree of controversy have resulted from recent work of Haldane. The prediction is that quantum spin chains with half-integer spin should all display T=0 phase behavior equivalent to that of the Bethe Ansatz integrable (solvable) spin-1/2 quantum chain. More remarkably, the class of integer spin chains is predicted to show very different phase behavior. In particular, a gap should be present in the spectrum of a Heisenberg antiferromagnetic chain. This remarkable feature is counterintuitive in terms of accepted wisdom in magnetism (spin-wave theory, spin-Peierls theory) and critical phenomena. Consequently the vertification of the prediction is of great interest. A considerable amount of numerical work has been done, involving finite-chain, finite-size scaling, variational, Monte Carlo and other calculations, which will be reviewed here. The present consensus is that the weight of numerical evidence supports the prediction, although puzzling features still remain. Adding additional interactions to the basic Heisenberg Hamiltonian such as spin (XXZ) anisotropy, single-ion anisotropy, biquadratic exchange, and an applied magnetic field, generates a rich and complicated phase diagram for chains with spin >1/2, particularly for the case of integer spin. The s=1 phase diagram seems to display critical behavior of a type not previously encountered. A theoretical appraisal of the Haldane phenomenon will include a discussion of the possible role of nonintegrability. Mention will also be made of current progress in experimental investigation of the phenomenon, including problems that might be encountered. More recent work of Affleck has greatly generalized the field-theoretic mappings which underlay the original work of Haldane. A number of interesting problems have been mapped into quantum spin chains of various types, including field theoretic phenomena and the localization problem of the quantum Hall effect.
Research in recent years has shown that combining finite-size scaling theory with the transfer matrix technique yields a powerful tool for the investigation of critical behavior. In particular, the method has been used to study two-dimensional statistical mechanical and one-dimensional quantum mechanical systems. We review finite-size scaling theory from the general point of view of renormalization group theory for both continuous and first-order transitions (both for systems with discrete and continuous symmetries). We review applications where a comparison with exact results can be made. These include the Ising, Baxter, and q-state Potts models and the Ising model with a defect line. Various other applications such as quantum systems, the self-avoiding random walk, percolation, and Kosterlitz-Thouless transitions are briefly reviewed. The Kosterlitz-Thouless transitions and the critical fan in the antiferromagnetic 3-state Potts model are discussed at somewhat greater length.
A recent remarkable prediction by Haldane is the 1D integer spin antiferromagnets of XXZ type should show strikingly different T=0 phase behavior from their counterparts with half-integer spin. The consensus of a wide variety of numerical evidence is in support of the Haldane prediction. However, one aspect which has been particularly difficult to confirm has been the behavior in the vicinity of the critical point Δ=Δ2. The point Δ2 is predicted to be a second-order transition in the universality class of the transverse Ising model at its critical field. It has been numerically established that at Δ=Δ2∼1.18–1.20, the Haldane gap disappears and an excited SzT=0 state becomes degenerate with the SzT=0 ground state for Δ≥Δ2. The mapping to the transverse Ising model implies the existence in the limit N→∞ of an infinite continuum of scaling states quasi-degenerate with the ground state(s) at Δ=Δ2. Numerical calculations to determine the presence of these scaling states have been performed up to N=12 spins for the spin-1 XXZ model. The development of this scaling continuum is only apparent for large N, when a class of k=0, SzT=0 high-lying spectral excitations develop a minimum in the vicinity of Δ∼1.18 which intensifies with increasing N. These excitations extrapolate well below the lower edge of the triplet continuum, and we conclude these are the Haldane scaling states. This conclusion is reinforced by a detailed study of the corresponding excitations for the spin-1/2 transverse Ising model. However, we also find a class of k=0, ‖SzT‖=1 excitations which show similar scaling behavior in the vicinity of Δ2. These states were not included in the Haldane prediction. The implications for the behavior of the correlation functions at Δ2 are discussed.
Botet and Jullien [Phys. Rev. B 27, 613 (1983)] have conducted a finite-chain scaling analysis on the spin-1 antiferromagnetic Heisenberg-Ising chain. They claim that the ground-state properties are completely different from the case of spin 12\frac{1}{2}21​. Using finite-size scaling techniques, they conclude that between the XY\mathrm{XY}XY gapless phase and the doublet-ground-state N\'eel phase, a new phase appears in an extended anisotropy range. This phase, which encompasses the isotropic Heisenberg model, is characterized by a nonmagnetic singlet ground state and a nonzero excitation-energy gap. We perform a similar finite-chain scaling analysis on the spin-12\frac{1}{2}21​ antiferromagnetic Heisenberg-Ising chain and obtain strikingly similar results. Since the spin-14\frac{1}{4}41​ system is known rigorously not to exhibit the type of behavior proposed by Botet and Jullien, their analysis is open to doubt. The possibility arises that a strong singularity at the Heisenberg point for spin 1 (similar to the essential singularity for spin 12\frac{1}{2}21​) may be giving rise to misleading results. The T=0T=0T=0 phase behavior of the spin-1 Heisenberg-Ising antiferromagnetic chain, therefore, remains in question and specific additional numerical studies are proposed to clarify the matter.
Ground state properties of finite anisotropic antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chains are studied for odd half-integer spins S= 1 / 2 , 3 / 2 ... as well as integer spins S=1, 2 .... Finite size scaling analysis of the results clearly distinguishes the half-integer (S= 1 / 2 , 3 / 2 ) from the integer (S=1) spin situation. It gives strong support to a recent conjecture which postulates that the T=0 phase structure is very different in the two cases. According to this idea there exists a new phase between the planar and the antiferromagnetic region, for integer spins only. This phase, which includes the isotropic point, has a finite energy gap and no long range order.