This paper demonstrates that a computer-aided perturbation theory can easily be realized by use of a cumulant approach. In contrast to a recent alternative formulation on the basis of Wegner's flow equation method the present approach can be applied to systems with arbitrary Hilbert space. In particular an equidistant spectrum of the unperturbed part of the Hamiltonian is not needed. The method is illustrated in detail for dimerized and frustrated spin 21 chains for which the ground state energy is calculated up to seventh order perturbation theory.
Excitation spectra of S=1/2 and 1 frustrated Heisenberg antiferromagnetic chains with bond alternation (explicit dimerization) are studied using a combination of analytical and numerical methods. The system undergoes a dimerization transition at a critical bond alternation parameter $\ensuremath{\delta}={\ensuremath{\delta}}_{\mathrm{c}}$, where ${\ensuremath{\delta}}_{\mathrm{c}}=0$ for the S=1/2 chain. The SU(2)-symmetric sine-Gordon theory is known to be an effective field theory of the system except at the transition point. The sine-Gordon theory has a SU(2)-triplet and a SU(2)-singlet of elementary excitation, and the mass ratio r of the singlet to the triplet is 3. However, our numerical calculation with the infinite time-evolving block decimation method shows that r depends on the frustration (next-nearest-neighbor coupling) and is generally different from 3. This can be understood as an effect of marginal perturbation to the sine-Gordon theory. In fact, at the critical frustration separating the second-order and first-order dimerization transitions, the marginal operator vanishes and r=3 holds. We derive the mass ratio r analytically using form-factor perturbation theory combined with a renormalization-group analysis. Our formula agrees well with the numerical results, confirming the theoretical picture. The present theory also implies that, even in the presence of a marginally irrelevant operator, the mass ratio approaches 3 in the very vicinity of the second-order dimerization critical point $\ensuremath{\delta}\ensuremath{\sim}{\ensuremath{\delta}}_{c}$. However, such a region is extremely small and would be difficult to observe numerically.
Using series expansion based on the flow equation method we study the zero temperature properties of the spin-1∕2 planar pyrochlore antiferromagnet in the limit of strong diagonal coupling. Starting from the limit of decoupled crossed dimers we analyze the evolution of the ground state energy and the elementary triplet excitations in terms of two coupling constants describing the inter dimer exchange. In the limit of weakly coupled spin-1∕2 chains we find that the fully frustrated inter chain coupling is critical, forcing a dimer phase which adiabatically connects to the state of isolated dimers. This result is consistent with findings by O. Starykh, A. Furusaki, and L. Balents [Phys. Rev. B 72, 094416 (2005)] which is inconsistent with a two-dimensional sliding Luttinger liquid phase at finite inter chain coupling.