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arXiv:cond-mat/0508536 · Physical Review Letters

Algebraic Vortex Liquid in Spin- 1 / 2 Triangular Antiferromagnets: Scenario for Cs 2 CuCl 4

Jason Alicea, Olexei I. Motrunich, Matthew P. A. Fisher

Published Dec 6, 2005• 54 citations
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Abstract

Motivated by inelastic neutron scattering data on Cs2CuCl4, we explore spin-1/2 triangular lattice antiferromagnets with both spatial and easy-plane exchange anisotropies, the latter due to an observed Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. Exploiting a duality mapping followed by a fermionization of the dual vortex degrees of freedom, we find a novel critical spin-liquid phase described in terms of Dirac fermions with an emergent global SU(4) symmetry minimally coupled to a noncompact U(1) gauge field. This "algebraic vortex liquid" supports gapless spin excitations and universal power-law correlations in the dynamical spin structure factor which are consistent with those observed in Cs2CuCl4. We suggest future neutron scattering experiments that should help distinguish between the algebraic vortex liquid and other spin liquids and quantum critical points previously proposed in the context of Cs2CuCl4.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.95.247203

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Motivated by inelastic neutron scattering data on Cs2CuCl4, we explore spin-1/2 triangular lattice antiferromagnets with both spatial and easy-plane exchange anisotropies, the latter due to an observed Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. Exploiting a duality mapping followed by a fermionization of the dual vortex degrees of freedom, we find a novel critical spin-liquid phase described in terms of Dirac fermions with an emergent global SU(4) symmetry minimally coupled to a noncompact U(1) gauge field. This "algebraic vortex liquid" supports gapless spin excitations and universal power-law correlations in the dynamical spin structure factor which are consistent with those observed in Cs2CuCl4. We suggest future neutron scattering experiments that should help distinguish between the algebraic vortex liquid and other spin liquids and quantum critical points previously proposed in the context of Cs2CuCl4.
We explore spin-12\frac{1}{2}21​ triangular antiferromagnets with both easy-plane and lattice exchange anisotropies by employing a dual vortex mapping followed by a fermionization of the vortices. Over a broad range of exchange anisotropy, this approach leads naturally to a ``critical'' spin liquid---the algebraic vortex liquid---which appears to be distinct from other known spin liquids. We present a detailed characterization of this state, which is described in terms of noncompact QED3 with an emergent SU(4) symmetry. Descendant phases of the algebraic vortex liquid are also explored, which include the Kalmeyer-Laughlin spin liquid, a variety of magnetically ordered states such as the well-known coplanar spiral state, and supersolids. In the range of exchange anisotropy where the ``square lattice'' N\'eel ground state arises, we demonstrate that anomalous ``roton'' minima in the excitation spectrum recently reported in series expansions can be accounted for within our approach.
Although magnetically ordered at low temperatures, the spin-12\frac{1}{2}21​ triangular antiferromagnet Cs2CuCl4{\mathrm{Cs}}_{2}\mathrm{Cu}{\mathrm{Cl}}_{4}Cs2​CuCl4​ exhibits remarkable spin dynamics that strongly suggest proximity to a spin-liquid phase. Here we ask whether a proximate spin liquid may also occur in an applied magnetic field, leaving a similar imprint on the dynamical spin correlations of this material. Specifically, we explore a spatially anisotropic Heisenberg spin-12\frac{1}{2}21​ triangular antiferromagnet at 13\frac{1}{3}31​ magnetization from a dual vortex perspective, and indeed find a ``critical'' spin-liquid phase described by quantum electrodynamics in (2+1)(2+1)(2+1)-dimensions with an emergent SU(6) symmetry. A number of nontrivial predictions follow for the dynamical spin structure factor in this ``algebraic vortex liquid'' phase, which can be tested via inelastic neutron scattering. We also discuss how well-studied ``up-up-down'' magnetization plateaus can be captured within our approach, and further predict the existence of a stable gapless solid phase in a weakly ordered up-up-down state. Finally, we predict several anomalous ``roton'' minima in the excitation spectrum in the regime of lattice anisotropy where the canted N\'eel state appears.
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We reexamine two-dimensional frustrated quantum magnetism with the aim of exploring new critical points and critical phases. We study easy-plane triangular antiferromagnets using a dual vortex approach, fermionizing the vortices with a Chern-Simons field. Herein we develop this technique for integer-spin systems which generically exhibit a simple paramagnetic phase as well as magnetically ordered phases with coplanar and collinear spin order. Within the fermionized-vortex approach, we derive a low-energy effective theory containing Dirac fermions with two flavors minimally coupled to a U(1) and a Chern-Simons gauge field. At criticality we argue that the Chern-Simons gauge field can be subsumed into the U(1) gauge field, and up to irrelevant interactions one arrives at quantum electrodynamics in 2+12+12+1 dimensions (QED3). Moreover, we conjecture that critical QED3 with full SU(2) flavor symmetry describes the O(4) multicritical point of the spin model where the paramagnet and two magnetically ordered phases merge. The remarkable implication is that QED3 with flavor SU(2) symmetry is dual to ordinary critical ${\ensuremath{\Phi}}^{4}$ field theory with O(4) symmetry. This leads to a number of unexpected, verifiable predictions for QED3. A connection of our fermionized-vortex approach with the dipole interpretation of the $\ensuremath{\nu}=1∕2$ fractional quantum Hall state is also demonstrated. The approach introduced in this paper will be applied to spin-1∕21∕21∕2 systems in a forthcoming publication.
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Dynamics and stability of U(1) spin liquids beyond mean-field theory: Triangular-lattice J1J_1J1​-J2J_2J2​ Heisenberg model
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