We describe new conformal field theories based on symplectic fermions that can be extrapolated between 2 and 4 dimensions. The critical exponents depend continuously on the number of components N of the fermions and the dimension D. In the context of anti-ferromagnetism, the N=2 theory is proposed to describe a deconfined quantum critical spin liquid corresponding to a transition between a Neel ordered phase and a VBS-like phase.
We describe new conformal field theories based on symplectic fermions that can be extrapolated between 2 and 4 dimensions. The critical exponents depend continuously on the number of components N of the fermions and the dimension D. In the context of anti-ferromagnetism, the N=2 theory is proposed to describe a deconfined quantum critical spin liquid corresponding to a transition between a Neel ordered phase and a VBS-like phase.
We describe a new kind of quantum critical point in the context of quantum anti-ferromagnetism in 2d that can be understood as a quantum critical spin liquid. Based on the comparison of exponents with previous numerical work, we argue it describes a transition from an anti-ferromagnetic Néel ordered state to a VBS-like state. We argue further that the symplectic fermions capture the proper degrees of freedom in the zero temperature phase that is the parent to the superconducting phase in the cuprates. We then show that our model reproduces some features found recently in experiments and also in the Hubbard model.
Quantum electrodynamics in 2+1 dimensions is an effective gauge theory for the so-called algebraic quantum liquids. A new type of such a liquid, the algebraic charge liquid, has been proposed recently in the context of deconfined quantum critical points [R. K. Kaul et al., Nat. Phys. 4, 28 (2008)]. In this context, by using the renormalization group in $d=4\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\epsilon}$ space-time dimensions, we show that a deconfined quantum critical point occurs in a SU(2) system provided the number of Dirac fermion species ${N}_{f}\ensuremath{\ge}4$. The calculations are done in a representation where the Dirac fermions are given by four-component spinors. The critical exponents are calculated for several values of Nf. In particular, for Nf=4 and $\ensuremath{\epsilon}=1$ (d=2+1), the anomalous dimension of the N\'eel field is given by ${\ensuremath{\eta}}_{N}=1/3$, with a correlation length exponent $\ensuremath{\nu}=1/2$. These values considerably change for Nf>4. For instance, for Nf=6, we find ${\ensuremath{\eta}}_{N}\ensuremath{\approx}0.75\text{ }191$ and $\ensuremath{\nu}\ensuremath{\approx}0.660\text{ }09$. We also investigate the effect of chiral symmetry breaking and analyze the scaling behavior of the chiral holon susceptibility, ${G}_{\ensuremath{\chi}}(x)\ensuremath{\equiv}⟨\overline{\ensuremath{\psi}}(x)\ensuremath{\psi}(x)\overline{\ensuremath{\psi}}(0)\ensuremath{\psi}(0)⟩$.
We consider relativistic U(1) gauge theories in 2+1 dimensions, with Nb species of complex bosons and Nf species of Dirac fermions at finite temperature. The quantum phase transition between the Higgs and Coulomb phases is described by a conformal field theory (CFT). At large Nb and Nf, but for arbitrary values of the ratio Nb∕Nf, we present computations of various critical exponents and universal amplitudes for these CFTs. We make contact with the different spin liquids, charge liquids, and deconfined critical points of quantum magnets that these field theories describe. We compute physical observables that may be measured in experiments or numerical simulations of insulating and doped quantum magnets.
We present a fermionic gauge theory for deconfined quantum criticality on the Shastry-Sutherland lattice and reveal its shared low-energy field-theoretic structure with the square lattice. Starting from an SU(2) π-flux parent state, we construct a continuum theory of Dirac spinons coupled to an SU(2) gauge field and adjoint Higgs fields whose condensates drive transitions to a staggered-flux U(1) spin liquid and a gapless Z2 Dirac spin liquid. While the Shastry-Sutherland lattice permits additional symmetry-allowed fermion bilinears compared to the square lattice, the quantum field theories are identical up to additional irrelevant terms. Consequently, the Higgs potential structure and the leading low-energy theory coincide with the square-lattice case at the quantum critical point. The SO(5) critical point is expected to realize conformal deconfined criticality: we analyze it in a large flavor expansion, calculate its critical exponents, and identify the Yukawa coupling between the fermions and Higgs fields as the relevant perturbation that destabilizes it, consistent with pseudocritical behavior observed in recent Monte Carlo studies. We show that the emergent SO(5) order parameter acquires a large anomalous dimension at the critical point, leading to strongly enhanced Néel and VBS susceptibilities-a hallmark of fermionic deconfined quantum criticality consistent with numerical studies. Our results place recent numerical evidence for a gapless Z2 Dirac spin liquid on the Shastry-Sutherland lattice within a controlled field-theoretic framework and demonstrate that fermionic deconfined criticality on the square lattice-including critical exponents and stability-extends to frustrated lattices with reduced symmetry.
Quantum fluctuations of the Néel state of the square lattice antiferromagnet are usually described by a CP 1 theory of bosonic spinons coupled to a U(1) gauge field, and with a global SU(2) spin rotation symmetry.Such a theory also has a confining phase with valence bond solid (VBS) order, and upon including spin-singlet charge-2 Higgs fields, deconfined phases with Z 2 topological order possibly intertwined with discrete broken global symmetries.We present dual theories of the same phases starting from a mean-field theory of fermionic spinons moving in π flux in each square lattice plaquette.Fluctuations about this π-flux state are described by (2 þ 1)-dimensional quantum chromodynamics (QCD 3 ) with a SU(2) gauge group and N f ¼ 2 flavors of massless Dirac fermions.It has recently been argued by Wang et al. [Deconfined Quantum Critical Points: Symmetries and Dualities, Phys. Rev. X 7, 031051 (2017).]that this QCD 3 theory describes the Néel-VBS quantum phase transition.We introduce adjoint Higgs fields in QCD 3 and obtain fermionic dual descriptions of the phases with Z 2 topological order obtained earlier using the bosonic CP 1 theory.We also present a fermionic spinon derivation of the monopole Berry phases in the U(1) gauge theory of the VBS state.The global phase diagram of these phases contains multicritical points, and our results imply new boson-fermion dualities between critical gauge theories of these points.
Using quantum Monte Carlo simulations, we study a series of models of fermions coupled to quantum Ising spins on a square lattice with N flavors of fermions per site for N ¼ 1, 2, and 3.The models have an extensive number of conserved quantities but are not integrable, and they have rather rich phase diagrams consisting of several exotic phases and phase transitions that lie beyond the Landau-Ginzburg paradigm.In particular, one of the prominent phases for N > 1 corresponds to 2N gapless Dirac fermions coupled to an emergent Z 2 gauge field in its deconfined phase.However, unlike a conventional Z 2 gauge theory, we do not impose "Gauss's Law" by hand; instead, it emerges because of spontaneous symmetry breaking.Correspondingly, unlike a conventional Z 2 gauge theory in two spatial dimensions, our models have a finite-temperature phase transition associated with the melting of the order parameter that dynamically imposes the Gauss's law constraint at zero temperature.By tuning a parameter, the deconfined phase undergoes a transition into a short-range entangled phase, which corresponds to Néel antiferromagnet or superconductor for N ¼ 2 and a valence-bond solid for N ¼ 3. Furthermore, for N ¼ 3, the valence-bond solid further undergoes a transition to a Néel phase consistent with the deconfined quantum critical phenomenon studied earlier in the context of quantum magnets.