This chapter turns to the models obtained by the quantum–classical mapping QC on the D -dimensional, N -component, classical ferromagnets in (3.3) with N ≥ 2. These are the O( N ) quantum rotor models in d = D − 1 dimensions, originally written down in (1.23). The quantum Ising model studied previously had a discrete Z 2 symmetry. An important new ingredient in the rotor models will be the presence of a continuous symmetry: The physics is invariant under a uniform, global O( N ) transformation on the orientation of the rotors, which is broken in the magnetically ordered state. We will introduce the important concept of the spin stiffness , which characterizes the rigidity of the ordered state and determines the dispersion spectrum of the low energy “spin-wave” excitations. Apart from this, much of the technology and the physical ideas introduced earlier for the d = 1 Ising chain will generalize straightforwardly, although we will no longer be able to obtain exact results for crossover functions. The characterization of the physics in terms of three regions separated by smooth crossovers, the high- T and the two low- T regions on either side of the quantum critical point, will continue to be extremely useful and will again be the basis of our discussion. Because we will consider models in spatial dimensions d > 1, it will be possible to have a thermodynamic phase transition at a nonzero temperature. We shall be particularly interested in the interplay between the critical singularities of the finite-temperature transition and those of the quantum critical point.
This chapter turns to the O( N ) quantum rotor studied earlier in Chapter 6. We extend the earlier results to T > 0 aided by an exact solution obtained in the N → ∞ limit. The quantum Ising model studied in Chapter 10 had a discrete Z 2 symmetry. An important new ingredient in the rotor models is the presence of a continuous symmetry: the physics is invariant under a uniform, global O( N ) transformation on the orientation of the rotors, which is broken in the magnetically ordered state. Thus we have to use ideas on the spin stiffness which were introduced in Chapter 8. Apart from this, much of the technology and the physical ideas introduced earlier for the d = 1 Ising chain generalize straightforwardly, although we are no longer able to obtain exact results for crossover functions at finite N . The characterization of the physics in terms of three regions separated by smooth crossovers, the high- T and the two low- T regions on either side of the quantum critical point, continues to be extremely useful and is again the basis of our discussion. Because we consider models in spatial dimensions d > 1, it is possible to have a thermodynamic phase transition at a nonzero temperature, as in Fig. 1.2b. We are particularly interested in the interplay between the critical singularities of the finite-temperature transition and those of the quantum critical point.
The large- N limit of quantum rotor models in d = 2 was examined in Chapter 5 and led to the phase diagram shown in Fig. 5.2. There we claimed that the large- N results provided a satisfactory description of the crossovers in the static and thermodynamic observables for N ≥ 3. We shall establish this claim in this chapter and also treat the dynamic correlations of n at nonzero temperatures. The discussion of the dynamics shall take place in a physical framework suggested by the modified version of Fig. 5.2 shown in Fig. 7.1 The low- T region on the quantum paramagnetic side can be described in an effective model of quasi-classical particles that is closely related to those developed in Sections 4.5.2 and 6.2. In the other low- T region on the magnetically ordered side, we shall obtain a “dual” model of quasi-classical waves, which is connected to that developed in Section 6.3. Finally, in the intermediate “quantum critical” or “continuum high- T ” region, neither of these descriptions is adequate: quantum and thermal behavior, as well as particle-and wavelike behavior, all play important roles, and we shall use a menage of these concepts to obtain a complete picture in this and the following two chapters. The results for the quasi-classical wave regime described in this chapter will be obtained by a combination of analytical and numerical techniques, which become exact in the low- T limit.
This chapter will discuss the reason for the central importance of the quantum Ising and rotor models in the theory of quantum phase transitions, quite apart from any experimental motivations. It turns out that the quantum transitions in these models in d dimensions are intimately connected to certain well-studied finite-temperature phase transitions in classical statistical mechanics models in D = d + 1 dimensions. We will then be able to transfer much of the sophisticated technology developed to analyze these classical models to the quantum models of interest here. (It is important not to confuse this very general and formal mapping with the fact that some d -dimensional quantum systems in the vicinity of finite temperature phase transitions are described by effective d -dimensional classical models, as in the shaded region of Fig. 1.2). We will discuss this mapping here in the simplest context of d = 0, D = 1: We will consider single-site quantum Ising and rotor models and explicitly discuss their mapping to classical statistical mechanics models in D = 1 (the cases d > 0 will then be discussed in Chapter 3). These very simple classical models in D = 1 actually do not have any phase transitions. Nevertheless, it is quite useful to examine them thoroughly as they do have regions in which the correlation “length” ξ becomes very large; the properties of these regions are very similar to those in the vicinity of the phase transition points in higher dimensions.
The large- N limit of quantum rotor models for d = 2 was examined in Chapter 11 and led to the phase diagram shown in Fig. 11.2. There we claimed that the large- N results provided a satisfactory description of the crossovers in the static and thermodynamic observables for N ≥ 3. We establish this claim in this chapter and also treat the dynamic correlations of n at nonzero temperatures. The discussion of the dynamics takes place in a physical framework suggested by the modified version of Fig. 11.2 shown in Fig. 13.1. The low- T region on the quantum paramagnetic side can be described in an effective model of quasi-classical particles that is closely related to those developed in Sections 10.4.2 and 12.2. In the other low- T region on the magnetically ordered side, we obtain a “dual” model of quasi-classical waves, which is connected to that developed in Section 12.3. Finally, in the intermediate “quantum critical” or “continuum high- T ” region, neither of these descriptions is adequate: quantum and thermal behavior, as well as particle- and wavelike behavior, all play important roles, and we use a melange of these concepts to obtain a complete picture in this and the following two chapters.
A systematic method for the computation of finite-temperature (T) crossover functions near quantum-critical points close to, or above, their upper-critical dimension is devised. We describe the physics of the various regions in the T and critical tuning parameter (t) plane. The quantum-critical point is at T=0, t=0, and in many cases there is a line of finite-temperature transitions at T=
Tc(t), t0, with
Tc(0)=0. For the relativistic, n-component ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\varphi}}}^{4}$ continuum quantum field theory [which describes lattice quantum rotor (n\ensuremath{\geqslant}2) and transverse field Ising (n=1) models] the upper-critical dimension is d=3, and for d3, \ensuremath{\epsilon}=3-d is the control parameter over the entire phase diagram. In the region |T-
Tc(t)|\ensuremath{\ll}
Tc(t), we obtain an \ensuremath{\epsilon} expansion for coupling constants which then are input as arguments of known classical, tricritical, crossover functions. In the high-T region of the continuum theory, an expansion in integer powers of $\sqrt{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}$, modulo powers of ln \ensuremath{\epsilon}, holds for all thermodynamic observables, static correlators, and dynamic properties at all Matsubara frequencies; for the imaginary part of correlators at real frequencies (\ensuremath{\omega}), the perturbative $\sqrt{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}$ expansion describes quantum relaxation at \ensuremath{\hbar}\ensuremath{\omega}\ensuremath{\sim}
kBT or larger, but fails for \ensuremath{\hbar}\ensuremath{\omega}\ensuremath{\sim}$\sqrt{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}$
kBT or smaller. An important principle, underlying the whole calculation, is the analyticity of all observables as functions of t at t=0, for T>0; indeed, analytic continuation in t is used to obtain results in a portion of the phase diagram. Our method also applies to a large class of other quantum-critical points and their associated continuum quantum field theories.
We consider quantum rotors or Ising spins in a transverse field on a d-dimensional lattice, with random, frustrating, short-range, exchange interactions. The quantum dynamics are associated with a finite moment of inertia for the rotors, and with the transverse field for the Ising spins. For a suitable distribution of exchange constants, these models display spin-glass and quantum paramagnet phases and a zero-temperature (T) quantum transition between them. An earlier exact solution for the critical properties of a model with infinite-range interactions cna be reproduced by minimization of a Landau effective-action functional for the model in finite d with short-range interactions. The functional is expressed in terms of a composite spin field which is bilocal in time. The mean-field phase diagram near the T=0 critical point is mapped out as a function of T, strength of the quantum coupling, and applied fields. The spin-glass phase has replica symmetry breaking; but, as in the classical Ising spin glass, the order parameter becomes replica symmetric as T\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0. Next we examine the consequences of fluctuations about the mean field for the critical properties. Above d=8, and with certain restrictions on the values of the Landau couplings, we find that the transition is controlled by a Gaussian fixed point with mean-field critical exponents. For couplings not attracted by the Gaussian fixed point above d=8, and for all physical couplings below d=8, we find runaway renormalization-group flows to strong coupling. General scaling relations that should be valid even at the strong-coupling fixed point are proposed and compared with Monte Carlo simulations.