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Effective theories for quantum spin clusters: geometric phases and order by singularity

Subhankar Khatua, Diptiman Sen, R. Ganesh

Published Mar 4, 2019• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

Magnetic systems with frustration often have large classical degeneracy. We show that their low-energy physics can be understood as dynamics within the space of classical ground states. We demonstrate this mapping in a family of quantum spin clusters where every pair of spins is connected by an $XY$ antiferromagnetic bond. The dimer with two spin-$S$ spins provides the simplest example, it maps to a quantum particle on a ring ($S^1$). The trimer is more complex, equivalent to a particle that lives on two disjoint rings ($S^1\otimes \mathbb{Z}_2$). It has an additional subtlety for half-integer $S$ values, wherein both rings must be threaded by $\pi$-fluxes to obtain a satisfactory mapping. This is a consequence of the geometric phase incurred by spins. For both the dimer and the trimer, the effective theory can be seen from a path-integral-based derivation. This approach cannot be extended to the quadrumer which has a non-manifold ground state space, consisting of three tori that touch pairwise along lines. In order to understand the dynamics of a particle in this space, we develop a tight-binding model with this connectivity. Remarkably, this successfully reproduces the low-energy spectrum of the quadrumer. For half-integer spins, a geometric phase emerges which can be mapped to two $\pi$-flux tubes that reside in the space between the tori. The non-manifold character of the space leads to a remarkable effect - the dynamics at low energies is not ergodic as the particle is localized around singular lines of the ground state space. The low-energy spectrum consists of an extensive number of bound states formed around singularities. Physically, this manifests as an order-by-disorder-like preference for collinear ground states. However, unlike order-by-disorder, this `order by singularity' persists even in the classical limit. We discuss consequences for field theoretic studies of magnets.

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Effective theories for quantum spin clusters: Geometric phases and state selection by singularity

Subhankar Khatua, Diptiman Sen, R. Ganesh

Magnetic systems with frustration often have large classical degeneracy. We show that their low-energy physics can be understood as dynamics within the space of classical ground states. We demonstrate this mapping in a family of quantum spin clusters where every pair of spins is connected by an $XY$ antiferromagnetic bond. The dimer with two spin-$S$ spins provides the simplest example---it maps to a quantum particle on a ring $({S}^{1})$. The trimer is more complex, equivalent to a particle that lives on two disjoint rings $({S}^{1}\ensuremath{\bigotimes}{\mathbb{Z}}_{2})$. It has an additional subtlety for half-integer $S$ values, wherein both rings must be threaded by $\ensuremath{\pi}$ fluxes to obtain a satisfactory mapping. This is a consequence of the geometric phase incurred by spins. For both the dimer and the trimer, the validity of the effective theory can be seen from a path-integral-based derivation. This approach cannot be extended to the quadrumer which has a nonmanifold ground-state space, consisting of three tori that touch pairwise along lines. In order to understand the dynamics of a particle in this space, we develop a tight-binding model with this connectivity. Remarkably, this successfully reproduces the low-energy spectrum of the quadrumer. For half-integer spins, a geometric phase emerges which can be mapped to two $\ensuremath{\pi}$-flux tubes that reside in the space between the tori. The nonmanifold character of the space leads to a remarkable effect---the dynamics at low energies is not ergodic as the particle is localized around singular lines of the ground-state space. The low-energy spectrum consists of an extensive number of bound states formed around singularities. Physically, this manifests as an order-by-disorder-like preference for collinear ground states. However, unlike order-by-disorder, this ``order by singularity'' persists even in the classical limit. We discuss consequences for field theoretic studies of magnets.

arXiv:1903.01499•Physical review. B./Physical review. B•Oct 9, 2019•10 citations

State selection in frustrated magnets

Subhankar Khatua, Sarvesh Srinivasan, R. Ganesh

Magnets with frustration often show accidental degeneracies, characterized by a large classical ground-state space (CGSS). Quantum fluctuations may ``select'' one of these ground states---a phenomenon labeled ``order by (quantum) disorder'' in literature. In this article, we examine the mechanism(s) by which such state selection takes place. We argue that a magnet, at low energies, maps to a particle moving on the CGSS. State selection corresponds to localization of the particle at a certain point on this space. We distinguish two mechanisms that can bring about localization. In the first, quantum fluctuations generate a potential on the CGSS space. If the potential has a deep enough minimum, then the particle localizes in its vicinity. We denote this as ``order by potential'' (ObP). In the second scenario, the particle localizes at a self-intersection point due to bound-state formation---a consequence of geometry and quantum interference. Following recent studies by the present authors, we denote this scenario as ``order by singularity'' (ObS). In either case, localization leads to an energy gap between the ground state(s) and higher-energy states. This pseudo-Goldstone gap behaves differently in the two mechanisms, scaling differently with the spin length. We place our discussion within the context of the one-dimensional spin-$S$ Kitaev model. We map out its CGSS which grows systematically with increasing system size. It resembles a network where the number of nodes increases exponentially. In addition, the number of wires that cross at each node also grows exponentially. This self-intersecting structure leads to ObS, with the low-energy physics determined by a small subset of the CGSS, consisting of ``Cartesian'' states. A contrasting picture emerges when an additional XY antiferromagnetic coupling is introduced. The CGSS simplifies dramatically, taking the form of a circle. Spin wave fluctuations generate a potential on this space, giving rise to state selection by ObP under certain conditions. Apart from contrasting ObS and ObP, we discuss the possibility of ObS in macroscopic magnets.

arXiv:2011.11668•Physical review. B./Physical review. B•May 11, 2021•12 citations

Field theories for frustrated antiferromagnetic spin chains

Sumathi Rao, Diptiman Sen

We study the antiferromagnetic spin chain with both dimerization and frustration. The classical ground state has three phases, a Néel phase, a spiral phase and a collinear phase, which we study through a nonlinear sigma-model approach. In the spiral phase, the field theory becomes and Lorentz invariant at long distances, a model which is exactly solvable. The low-energy spectrum is doubly degenerate with massive `elementary' spin-1/2 particles and `two-particle' triplet and singlet physical excitations. The field theory also supports solitons which lead to a double degeneracy of the ground state for half-integer spins (when there is no dimerization).

arXiv:cond-mat/9506145•Journal of Physics Condensed Matter•Feb 24, 1997•11 citations

State selection in frustrated magnets: order by disorder and order by singularity

Subhankar Khatua, Sarvesh Srinivasan, R. Ganesh

Magnets with frustration often show accidental degeneracies, characterised by a large classical ground state space (CGSS). Quantum fluctuations may select a particular element of this space via the well known `order by disorder' (ObD) paradigm. Recent studies by the current authors propose a distinct selection mechanism -- `order by singularity' (ObS) -- that can occur when the CGSS self-intersects. This effect has been demonstrated in clusters containing a few spins. In this article, we draw a qualitative distinction between these two selection paradigms. We argue that the magnet, at low energies, maps to a particle moving on the CGSS. State selection corresponds to localization of the particle at a certain point on this space. In ObD, the particle localizes at a minimum of a fluctuation-generated potential. In contrast, in ObS, the particle localizes at a self-intersection point due to bound state formation -- a consequence of quantum interference. We place our discussion within the context of the one-dimensional spin-$S$ Kitaev model. We map out its CGSS which grows systematically with increasing system size. It resembles a network where the number of nodes increases exponentially. In addition, the number of wires that cross at each node also grows exponentially. This self-intersecting structure leads to ObS, with the low-energy physics determined by a small subset of the CGSS, consisting of `cartesian' states. A contrasting picture emerges upon introducing an additional XY antiferromagnetic coupling. The CGSS simplifies dramatically, taking the form of a circle. Spin wave fluctuations generate a potential on this space. We discuss the conditions under which this potential gives rise to state selection by ObD. Apart from contrasting ObS and ObD, we discuss the possibility of ObS in macroscopic magnets.

•Nov 23, 2020•0 citations

Spin- S Kitaev model: Classical ground states, order from disorder, and exact correlation functions

G. Baskaran, Diptiman Sen, Ravi Shankar

In the first part of this paper, we study the spin-$S$ Kitaev model using spin-wave theory. We discover a remarkable geometry of the minimum-energy surface in the $N$-spin space. The classical ground states, called Cartesian or CN-ground states, whose number grows exponentially with the number of spins $N$, form a set of points in the $N$-spin space. These points are connected by a network of flat valleys in the $N$-spin space giving rise to a continuous family of classical ground states. Further, the CN-ground states have a correspondence with dimer coverings and with self-avoiding walks on a honeycomb lattice. The zero-point energy of our spin-wave theory picks out a subset from a continuous family of classically degenerate states as the quantum ground states; the number of these states also grows exponentially with $N$. In the second part, we present some exact results. For arbitrary spin $S$, we show that localized ${Z}_{2}$ flux excitations are present by constructing plaquette operators with eigenvalues $\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1$, which commute with the Hamiltonian. This set of commuting plaquette operators leads to an exact vanishing of the spin-spin correlation functions beyond nearest-neighbor separation found earlier for the spin-1/2 model [G. Baskaran et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 247201 (2007)]. We introduce a generalized Jordan-Wigner transformation for the case of general spin $S$ and find a complete set of commuting link operators similar to the spin-1/2 model, thereby making the ${Z}_{2}$ gauge structure more manifest. The Jordan-Wigner construction also leads, in a natural fashion, to Majorana fermion operators for half-odd-integer spin cases and hard-core boson operators for integer spin cases strongly suggesting the presence of Majorana fermion and boson excitations in the respective low-energy sectors. Finally, we present a modified Kitaev Hamiltonian, which is exactly solvable for all half-odd-integer spins; it is equivalent to an exponentially large number of copies of spin-1/2 Kitaev Hamiltonians.

arXiv:0806.1588•Physical Review B•Sep 22, 2008•142 citations

COUPLED CLUSTER TREATMENTS OF QUANTUM MAGNETS: TWO EXAMPLES

Sven E. Krüger, DAMIAN J. J. FARNELL, Johannes Richter

In this article we study the ground-state properties of two square-lattice Heisenberg quantum spin models with competing bonds using a high-order coupled cluster treatment. The first model is a spin-half model with competing nearest-neighbour bonds with and without frustration. We discuss the influence of quantum fluctuations on the ground-state phase diagram and in particular on the nature of the zero-temperature phase transitions from phases with collinear magnetic order at small frustration to phases with noncollinear spiral order at large frustration. The second model is a highly frustrated ferrimagnet, which contains one sublattice (A) entirely populated with spin-one spins and an other sublattice (B) entirely populated with spin-half spins. Sublattice A sites are nearest-neighbours to sublattice B sites and vice versa and frustration is introduced by next-nearest-neighbour bonds. The model shows two collinear ordered phases and a noncollinear phase in which (classically) the spin-one spins are allowed to cant at an angle. Both examples show that the coupled-cluster method is able to describe the zero-temperature transitions well and provides a consistent description of collinear, noncollinear, and disordered phases, for cases in which other standard techniques (e.g. the quantum Monte Carlo technique for spin systems which are frustrated) are not applicable.

International Journal of Modern Physics B•Nov 10, 2003•2 citations
Magnetic systems with frustration often have large classical degeneracy. We show that their low-energy physics can be understood as dynamics within the space of classical ground states. We demonstrate this mapping in a family of quantum spin clusters where every pair of spins is connected by an XYXYXY antiferromagnetic bond. The dimer with two spin-SSS spins provides the simplest example, it maps to a quantum particle on a ring (S1S^1S1). The trimer is more complex, equivalent to a particle that lives on two disjoint rings (S1⊗Z2S^1\otimes \mathbb{Z}_2S1⊗Z2​). It has an additional subtlety for half-integer SSS values, wherein both rings must be threaded by π\piπ-fluxes to obtain a satisfactory mapping. This is a consequence of the geometric phase incurred by spins. For both the dimer and the trimer, the effective theory can be seen from a path-integral-based derivation. This approach cannot be extended to the quadrumer which has a non-manifold ground state space, consisting of three tori that touch pairwise along lines. In order to understand the dynamics of a particle in this space, we develop a tight-binding model with this connectivity. Remarkably, this successfully reproduces the low-energy spectrum of the quadrumer. For half-integer spins, a geometric phase emerges which can be mapped to two π\piπ-flux tubes that reside in the space between the tori. The non-manifold character of the space leads to a remarkable effect - the dynamics at low energies is not ergodic as the particle is localized around singular lines of the ground state space. The low-energy spectrum consists of an extensive number of bound states formed around singularities. Physically, this manifests as an order-by-disorder-like preference for collinear ground states. However, unlike order-by-disorder, this `order by singularity' persists even in the classical limit. We discuss consequences for field theoretic studies of magnets.
Magnetic systems with frustration often have large classical degeneracy. We show that their low-energy physics can be understood as dynamics within the space of classical ground states. We demonstrate this mapping in a family of quantum spin clusters where every pair of spins is connected by an XYXYXY antiferromagnetic bond. The dimer with two spin-SSS spins provides the simplest example---it maps to a quantum particle on a ring (S1)({S}^{1})(S1). The trimer is more complex, equivalent to a particle that lives on two disjoint rings $({S}^{1}\ensuremath{\bigotimes}{\mathbb{Z}}_{2})$. It has an additional subtlety for half-integer SSS values, wherein both rings must be threaded by $\ensuremath{\pi}$ fluxes to obtain a satisfactory mapping. This is a consequence of the geometric phase incurred by spins. For both the dimer and the trimer, the validity of the effective theory can be seen from a path-integral-based derivation. This approach cannot be extended to the quadrumer which has a nonmanifold ground-state space, consisting of three tori that touch pairwise along lines. In order to understand the dynamics of a particle in this space, we develop a tight-binding model with this connectivity. Remarkably, this successfully reproduces the low-energy spectrum of the quadrumer. For half-integer spins, a geometric phase emerges which can be mapped to two $\ensuremath{\pi}$-flux tubes that reside in the space between the tori. The nonmanifold character of the space leads to a remarkable effect---the dynamics at low energies is not ergodic as the particle is localized around singular lines of the ground-state space. The low-energy spectrum consists of an extensive number of bound states formed around singularities. Physically, this manifests as an order-by-disorder-like preference for collinear ground states. However, unlike order-by-disorder, this ``order by singularity'' persists even in the classical limit. We discuss consequences for field theoretic studies of magnets.
Magnets with frustration often show accidental degeneracies, characterized by a large classical ground-state space (CGSS). Quantum fluctuations may ``select'' one of these ground states---a phenomenon labeled ``order by (quantum) disorder'' in literature. In this article, we examine the mechanism(s) by which such state selection takes place. We argue that a magnet, at low energies, maps to a particle moving on the CGSS. State selection corresponds to localization of the particle at a certain point on this space. We distinguish two mechanisms that can bring about localization. In the first, quantum fluctuations generate a potential on the CGSS space. If the potential has a deep enough minimum, then the particle localizes in its vicinity. We denote this as ``order by potential'' (ObP). In the second scenario, the particle localizes at a self-intersection point due to bound-state formation---a consequence of geometry and quantum interference. Following recent studies by the present authors, we denote this scenario as ``order by singularity'' (ObS). In either case, localization leads to an energy gap between the ground state(s) and higher-energy states. This pseudo-Goldstone gap behaves differently in the two mechanisms, scaling differently with the spin length. We place our discussion within the context of the one-dimensional spin-SSS Kitaev model. We map out its CGSS which grows systematically with increasing system size. It resembles a network where the number of nodes increases exponentially. In addition, the number of wires that cross at each node also grows exponentially. This self-intersecting structure leads to ObS, with the low-energy physics determined by a small subset of the CGSS, consisting of ``Cartesian'' states. A contrasting picture emerges when an additional XY antiferromagnetic coupling is introduced. The CGSS simplifies dramatically, taking the form of a circle. Spin wave fluctuations generate a potential on this space, giving rise to state selection by ObP under certain conditions. Apart from contrasting ObS and ObP, we discuss the possibility of ObS in macroscopic magnets.
We study the antiferromagnetic spin chain with both dimerization and frustration. The classical ground state has three phases, a Néel phase, a spiral phase and a collinear phase, which we study through a nonlinear sigma-model approach. In the spiral phase, the field theory becomes and Lorentz invariant at long distances, a model which is exactly solvable. The low-energy spectrum is doubly degenerate with massive `elementary' spin-1/2 particles and `two-particle' triplet and singlet physical excitations. The field theory also supports solitons which lead to a double degeneracy of the ground state for half-integer spins (when there is no dimerization).
Magnets with frustration often show accidental degeneracies, characterised by a large classical ground state space (CGSS). Quantum fluctuations may select a particular element of this space via the well known `order by disorder' (ObD) paradigm. Recent studies by the current authors propose a distinct selection mechanism -- `order by singularity' (ObS) -- that can occur when the CGSS self-intersects. This effect has been demonstrated in clusters containing a few spins. In this article, we draw a qualitative distinction between these two selection paradigms. We argue that the magnet, at low energies, maps to a particle moving on the CGSS. State selection corresponds to localization of the particle at a certain point on this space. In ObD, the particle localizes at a minimum of a fluctuation-generated potential. In contrast, in ObS, the particle localizes at a self-intersection point due to bound state formation -- a consequence of quantum interference. We place our discussion within the context of the one-dimensional spin-SSS Kitaev model. We map out its CGSS which grows systematically with increasing system size. It resembles a network where the number of nodes increases exponentially. In addition, the number of wires that cross at each node also grows exponentially. This self-intersecting structure leads to ObS, with the low-energy physics determined by a small subset of the CGSS, consisting of `cartesian' states. A contrasting picture emerges upon introducing an additional XY antiferromagnetic coupling. The CGSS simplifies dramatically, taking the form of a circle. Spin wave fluctuations generate a potential on this space. We discuss the conditions under which this potential gives rise to state selection by ObD. Apart from contrasting ObS and ObD, we discuss the possibility of ObS in macroscopic magnets.
In the first part of this paper, we study the spin-SSS Kitaev model using spin-wave theory. We discover a remarkable geometry of the minimum-energy surface in the NNN-spin space. The classical ground states, called Cartesian or CN-ground states, whose number grows exponentially with the number of spins NNN, form a set of points in the NNN-spin space. These points are connected by a network of flat valleys in the NNN-spin space giving rise to a continuous family of classical ground states. Further, the CN-ground states have a correspondence with dimer coverings and with self-avoiding walks on a honeycomb lattice. The zero-point energy of our spin-wave theory picks out a subset from a continuous family of classically degenerate states as the quantum ground states; the number of these states also grows exponentially with NNN. In the second part, we present some exact results. For arbitrary spin SSS, we show that localized Z2{Z}_{2}Z2​ flux excitations are present by constructing plaquette operators with eigenvalues $\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1$, which commute with the Hamiltonian. This set of commuting plaquette operators leads to an exact vanishing of the spin-spin correlation functions beyond nearest-neighbor separation found earlier for the spin-1/2 model [G. Baskaran et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 247201 (2007)]. We introduce a generalized Jordan-Wigner transformation for the case of general spin SSS and find a complete set of commuting link operators similar to the spin-1/2 model, thereby making the Z2{Z}_{2}Z2​ gauge structure more manifest. The Jordan-Wigner construction also leads, in a natural fashion, to Majorana fermion operators for half-odd-integer spin cases and hard-core boson operators for integer spin cases strongly suggesting the presence of Majorana fermion and boson excitations in the respective low-energy sectors. Finally, we present a modified Kitaev Hamiltonian, which is exactly solvable for all half-odd-integer spins; it is equivalent to an exponentially large number of copies of spin-1/2 Kitaev Hamiltonians.
In this article we study the ground-state properties of two square-lattice Heisenberg quantum spin models with competing bonds using a high-order coupled cluster treatment. The first model is a spin-half model with competing nearest-neighbour bonds with and without frustration. We discuss the influence of quantum fluctuations on the ground-state phase diagram and in particular on the nature of the zero-temperature phase transitions from phases with collinear magnetic order at small frustration to phases with noncollinear spiral order at large frustration. The second model is a highly frustrated ferrimagnet, which contains one sublattice (A) entirely populated with spin-one spins and an other sublattice (B) entirely populated with spin-half spins. Sublattice A sites are nearest-neighbours to sublattice B sites and vice versa and frustration is introduced by next-nearest-neighbour bonds. The model shows two collinear ordered phases and a noncollinear phase in which (classically) the spin-one spins are allowed to cant at an angle. Both examples show that the coupled-cluster method is able to describe the zero-temperature transitions well and provides a consistent description of collinear, noncollinear, and disordered phases, for cases in which other standard techniques (e.g. the quantum Monte Carlo technique for spin systems which are frustrated) are not applicable.