We study the level structure of excitations at the ``deconfined'' critical point separating antiferromagnetic and valence-bond-solid phases in two-dimensional quantum spin systems using the $J\text{\ensuremath{-}}Q$ model as an example. Energy gaps in different spin
(S) and momentum
(k) sectors are extracted from imaginary-time correlation functions obtained in quantum Monte Carlo simulations. We find strong quantitative evidence for deconfined linearly dispersing spinons with gapless points at $\mathbf{k}=(0,0),(\ensuremath{\pi},0),(0,\ensuremath{\pi})$, and $(\ensuremath{\pi},\ensuremath{\pi})$, as inferred from two-spinon excitations (
S=0 and
S=1 states) around these points. We also observe a duality between singlet and triplet excitations at the critical point and inside the ordered phases, in support of an enhanced symmetry, possibly SO(5).
Using quantum Monte Carlo and numerical analytic continuation methods, we study the dynamic spin structure factor and the single-hole spectral function of a two-dimensional quantum magnet (
J-
Q model) at its quantum phase transition separating Néel antiferromagnetic and spontaneously dimerized ground states. At this putative deconfined quantum-critical point, we find a broad continuum of spinon excitations that can be accounted for by the fermionic
π-flux state; a known mean-field model for deconfined quantum criticality. We find that the best description of the two-spinon continuum is with a version of the model with a
2×2 unit cell, reflecting non-trivial mutual statistics of spinons and anti-spinons. The single-hole spectral function can be described by the same spinon dispersion relation and an independently propagating holon. Thus, the system exhibits spin-charge separation and will likely evolve into an extended holon metal phase at finite doping.