Spin Excitations in the Field-Induced Phase of the Quasi-One-Dimensional S = 1 Heisenberg Antiferromagnet NDMAP

The S = 1 quasi-one-dimensional Heisenberg antiferromagnet [Ni(C₅H₁₄N₂)₂N₃](PF₆), abbreviated as NDMAP, has been studied by electron spin resonance in a magnetic field above the critical field (H _c). We studied angular and frequency dependences of spin excitations. The angular dependence of the spin excitations in the vicinity of H _c is explained well by a phenomenological field theory, but the agreement between the experiment and the calculation is not satisfactory above 10 T. In high magnetic fields above 15 T, we obtained some characteristic spin excitations which are well explained by conventional antiferromagnetic resonance modes. These results suggest that the spin excitations change from a quantum state to a classical one due to the suppression of quantum fluctuations by high magnetic fields.     

Verification of a new quantum simulation approach through its application to two-dimensional Ising lattices

A new quantum simulation approach has been applied in the present work to the two-dimensional (2D) ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic Ising lattices to calculate their magnetic structures, magnetizations, free energies and specific heats in the absence of an external magnetic field. Surprisingly, no size effects could be observed in our simulations performed for the Ising lattices of different sizes. Most importantly, our calculated spontaneous thermally averaged spins for the two kinds of systems are exactly same as those evaluated with quantum mean field theory, and the magnetic structures simulated at all chosen temperatures are perfectly ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic, verifying the correctness and applicability of our quantum model and computational algorithm. On the other hand, if the classical Monte Carlo (CMC) method is applied to the ferromagnetic 2D Ising lattice with S=1, it is able to generate correct magnetization well consistent with Onsager's theory; but in the case of S=1/2, the computational results of CMC are incomparable to those predicted with the quantum mean field theory, giving rise to very much reduced magnetization and considerably underestimated Curie temperature. The difficulty met by the CMC method is mainly caused by its improperly calculated exchange energy of the randomly selected spin in every simulation step, especially immediately below the transition temperature, where the thermal averages of spins are much less than 1/2, however they are assigned to ±1/2 by CMC to evaluate the exchange energies of the spins, such improper manipulation is obviously impossible to lead the code to converge to the right equilibrium states of the spin systems.     

Ground States of Quantum Antiferromagnets in Two Dimensions

We explore the ground states and quantum phase transitions of two-dimensional, spin S=1/2, antiferromagnets by generalizing lattice models and duality transforms introduced by Sachdev and Jalabert (1990, Mod. Phys. Lett. B4, 1043). The minimal model for square lattice antiferromagnets is a lattice discretization of the quantum nonlinear sigma model, along with Berry phases which impose quantization of spin. With full SU(2) spin rotation invariance, we find a magnetically ordered ground state with Néel order at weak coupling and a confining paramagnetic ground state with bond charge (e.g., spin Peierls) order at strong coupling. We study the mechanisms by which these two states are connected in intermediate coupling. We extend the minimal model to study different routes to fractionalization and deconfinement in the ground state, and also generalize it to cases with a uniaxial anisotropy (the spin symmetry groups is then U(1)). For the latter systems, fractionalization can appear by the pairing of vortices in the staggered spin order in the easy-plane; however, we argue that this route does not survive the restoration of SU(2) spin symmetry. For SU(2) invariant systems we study a separate route to fractionalization associated with the Higgs phase of a complex boson measuring noncollinear, spiral spin correlations: we present phase diagrams displaying competition between magnetic order, bond charge order, and fractionalization, and discuss the nature of the quantum transitions between the various states. A strong check on our methods is provided by their application to S=1/2 frustrated antiferromagnets in one dimension: here, our results are in complete accord with those obtained by bosonization and by the solution of integrable models.     

Quantum to classical transition in the ground state of a spin-S quantum antiferromagnet

We study a frustrated spin-S staggered-dimer Heisenberg model on square lattice by using the bond-operator representation for quantum spins, and investigate the emergence of classical magnetic order from the quantum mechanical (staggered-dimer singlet) ground state for increasing S. Using triplon analysis, we find the critical couplings for this quantum phase transition to scale as 1 /S(S + 1). We extend the triplon analysis to include the effect of quintet dimer-states, which proves to be essential for establishing the classical order (Néel or collinear in the present study) for large S, both in the purely Heisenberg case and also in the model with single-ion anisotropy.     

Thermodynamics of the quantum and classical Ising models with skew magnetic field

The thermodynamics of the unitary (normalized spin) quantum and classical Ising models with skew magnetic field, for |J|β?0.9, is derived for the ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic cases. The high-temperature expansion (β-expansion) of the Helmholtz free energy is calculated up to order β⁷ for the quantum version (spin S≥1/2) and up to order β¹⁹ for the classical version. In contrast to the S=1/2 case, the thermodynamics of the transverse Ising and that of the XY model for S>1/2 are not equivalent. Moreover, the critical line of the T=0 classical antiferromagnetic Ising model with skew magnetic field is absent from this classical model, at least in the temperature range of |J|β?0.9.     

Density-matrix renormalization group study of the spin-Peierls instability in the antiferromagnetic Heisenberg ladder

The columnar dimerized antiferromagnetic S?=?1/2 spin ladder is numerically studied by the density-matrix renormalization-group (DMRG) method. The elastic lattice with spin-phonon coupling ?? and lattice elastic force k is introduced into the system. Thus the S?=?1?/?2 Heisenberg spin chain is unstable towards dimerization (the spin-Peierls transition). However, the dimerization should be suppressed if the rung coupling J _?? is sufficiently large, and a Columnar dimer to Rung singlet phase transition takes place. After a self-consistent calculation of the dimerization, we determine the quantum phase diagram by numerically computing the singlet-triplet gap, the dimerization amplitude, the order parameters, the rung spin correlation and quantum entropies. Our results show that the phase boundary between the Columnar dimer phase and Rung singlet phase is approximately of the form J _?? ~ \hbox{$(\frac{k}{\alpha^{2}})^{-\frac{5}{4}}$} ( k ?? 2 ) ? 5 4.     

High-Field and Multifrequency ESR in the Two-Dimensional Triangular Lattice Antiferromagnet NiGa2S4

We report the experimental results of electron spin resonance in high magnetic fields up to about 53 T on the quasi-two-dimensional triangular lattice antiferromagnet NiGa₂S₄. The temperature dependence of the resonance field at 584.8 GHz shows a steep change below about 30 K, indicating a development of the short-range correlation. The frequency dependence of the resonance field at the lowest temperature for H∥c is explained by one of the helical resonance modes. These experimental results suggest that the short-range order is well developed at low temperatures, and the resonance mode is described by a conventional spin wave theory.     

Spin correlations in the two-dimensional spin-5/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet

We report a neutron scattering study of the instantaneous spin correlations in the two-dimensional spin S =5/2 square-lattice Heisenberg antiferromagnet Rb₂MnF₄. The measured correlation lengths are quantitatively described, with no adjustable parameters, by high-temperature series expansion results and by a theory based on the quantum self-consistent harmonic approximation. Conversely, we find that the data, which cover the range from about 1 to 50 lattice constants, are outside of the regime corresponding to renormalized classical behavior of the quantum non-linear model. In addition, we observe a crossover from Heisenberg to Ising critical behavior near the Néel temperature; this crossover is well described by a mean-field model with no adjustable parameters. Received: 3 March 1998 / Received in final form: 4 May 1998 / Accepted: 19 May 1998     

Ground state properties of the ferrimagnetic one and two-dimensional Heisenberg model: Influence of dimerization and competitive interactions

We use the Schwinger boson mean field theory to study the effect of frustration and dimerization in the quantum ferrimagnetic model in one and two-dimensions. We calculate the spin reduction, the gap of the antiferromagnetic branch, and the spin fluctuation at T = 0 K. At finite temperature, the long-range order is destroyed because of the disappearance of the Bose condensation. The free energy, the magnetic susceptibility and the spin correlations at T = 0 K, are calculated. The effects of frustration and dimerization are discussed.     

Quantum fluctuations and ground state of weakly interacting helix spin chains in a magnetic field

Ferromagnetic spin chains of a hexagonal lattice coupled by a weak antiferromagnetic interaction J₁ develop a helix arrangement if the intrachain antiferromagnetic NNN exchange J₂ is sufficiently large. We show that the classical minimum energy spin configuration is an umbrella when an external magnetic field is applied. The scenario is dramatically changed by quantum fluctuations. Indeed we find that the zero point motion forces the spins in a plane containing the magnetic field so that classical expectation is deceptive for our model. Our result is obtained by controlled expansion in the low field-long wavelength modulation limit. Received: 9 September 1997 / Revised: 15 October 1997 / Accepted: 17 November 1997     

Low-temperature heat transport of spin-gapped quantum magnets

This article reviews low-temperature heat transport studies of spin-gapped quantum magnets in the last few decades. Quantum magnets with small spins and low dimensionality exhibit a variety of novel phenomena. Among them, some systems are characteristic of having quantum-mechanism spin gap in their magnetic excitation spectra, including spin-Peierls systems, S=1 Haldane chains, S= 1/2 spin ladders, and spin dimmers. In some particular spin-gapped systems, the XY-type antiferromagnetic state induced by magnetic field that closes the spin gap can be described as a magnon Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC). Heat transport is effective in probing the magnetic excitations and magnetic phase transitions, and has been extensively studied for the spin-gapped systems. A large and ballistic spin thermal conductivity was observed in the two-leg Heisenberg S=1/2 ladder compounds. The characteristic of magnetic thermal transport of the Haldane chain systems is quite controversial on both the theoretical and experimental results. For the spin-Peierls system, the spin excitations can also act as heat carriers. In spin-dimer compounds, the magnetic excitations mainly play a role of scattering phonons. The magnetic excitations in the magnon BEC systems displayed dual roles, carrying heat or scattering phonons, in different materials.     

Quantum phase transition in the two-dimensional XY model with single-ion anisotropy

In this paper we study the quantum phase transition and low temperature behavior in a square lattice quantum two-dimensional XY model with single-ion anisotropy and spin S=1. Starting with the Villain representation, a Landau-Ginzburg expression is written. The large D phase is studied using the bond operator formalism.     

Classial and quantum solitons in the transverse field Ising model

We investigate the shape and the dynamics of domain walls in the one-dimensional Ising model with spin S, exchange constant J and external transverse field Γ using numerical calculations up to S = 20 and analytical approximations. For $\tfrac{\Gamma } {{JS}}$ \] we describe classical domain walls as strongly localized excitations, which have either central spin or central bond symmetry. These symmetries are identified also in the quantum case, when solitary excitations develop into energy bands. In the classical limit S → ∞ localization results from the exponential vanishing of the bandwidth for the lowest bands. We describe the relation between the spectrum of moving classical solitons and the quantum band structure.     

Anomalous magnetism and 209Bi nuclear spin relaxation in Bi4Ge3O12 crystals

The quadrupole ²⁰⁹Bi spin–spin and spin–lattice relaxation were studied within 4.2–300 K for pure and doped Bi₄Ge₃O₁₂ single crystals which exhibit, as was previously found, anomalous magnetic properties. The results revealed an unexpectedly strong influence of minor amounts of paramagnetic dopants (0.015–0.5 mol.%) on the relaxation processes. Various mechanisms (quadrupole, crystal electric field, electron spin fluctuations) govern the spin–lattice relaxation time T ₁ in pure and doped samples. Unlike T ₁, the spin–spin relaxation time T ₂ for pure and Nd-doped samples was weakly dependent on temperature within 4.2–300 K. Doping Bi₄Ge₃O₁₂ with paramagnetic atoms strongly elongated T ₂. The elongation, although not so strong, was also observed for pure and doped crystals under the influence of weak (～30 Oe) external magnetic fields. To confirm the conclusion about strong influence of crystal field effects on the temperature dependence of T ₁ in the temperature range 4.2–77 K, the magnetization vs. temperature and magnetic field was measured for Nd- and Gd-doped Bi₄Ge₃O₁₂ crystals using a SQUID magnetometer. The temperature behavior of magnetic susceptibility for the Nd-doped crystal was consistent with the presence of the crystal electric field effects. For the Gd-doped crystal, the Brillouin formula perfectly fitted the curve of magnetization vs. magnetic field, which pointed to the absence of the crystal electric field contribution into the spin–lattice relaxation process in this sample.     

ΛN and ΣN Interactions from Lattice QCD

We present our recent study on ΛN and ΣN (isospin I = 3/2) interactions by measuring Nambu–Bethe–Salpeter wave functions on the Lattice QCD. The lattice QCD calculation is performed by using the N _f  = 2 + 1 gauge configurations generated by PACS-CS collaboration together with employing an improved method to obtain potentials in lattice QCD simulations. For the ¹ S ₀ channel, the central ΣN (I = 3/2) potential and the central ΛN (¹ S ₀) potential are found to be very similar. For the spin triplet (³ S ₁?³ D ₁) channels, the central ΛN(³ S ₁?³ D ₁) potential is attractive while the central ΣN(I = 3/2, ³ S ₁?³ D ₁) potentials is repulsive. Tensor potentials, on the other hand, are rather weak in both ΛN and ΣN(I = 3/2) systems.     

Magnetische Suszeptibilität von Spinsystemen mit mehreren zeitabhängigen Temperaturen

The longitudinal susceptibility of a spin system in contact with a lattice is calculated from quantum statistics in the high temperature approximation. The method is based on the concept of time dependent temperatures describing the relaxation of several partial energies 〈þ _v 〉(t). The result forχ _∥ (Ω) is a sum of Debye functions. Explicit formulas for the relaxation times and the coefficients of the Debye functions are given in terms of the Hamiltonians. Three cases are especially discussed: 1. A part of the spin system is strongly coupled to the Zeeman system. 2. The lattice is weakly coupled to the total spin system. It is shown that on certain conditions the total spin systems may be treated as isolated from the lattice. 3. A part of the spin system dependent on the static magnetic field is isolated from the rest. An example is discussed which explains recent measurements obtained in CeCl₃ · 7H₂O.     

Boundary effects in finite Heisenberg antiferromagneticS = 1 chains:89Y NMR in Y2BaNi1−xMgxO5

By means of⁸⁹Y nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra direct evidence of staggered magnetization induced by a uniform field has been obtained in the Heisenberg antiferromagneticS = 1 chain Y₂BaNi_1?xMg_xO₅. A correspondence between the resonance lines and the lattice positions is established, providing an image of the alternating magnetic moments that develop around the Mg impurities at the chain boundaries. The amplitude of these moments is found to decrease exponentially from the edges, with a characteristic decay distance equal to the magnetic correlation length numerically evaluated for an infinite chain. While the magnetization pertaining to ions far from the boundaries behaves as in typical gapped systems, the edge spins exhibit anS = 1/2 Curie-like deviation. These results promote the NMR approach to access the spin-spin correlation function in antiferro-magnetic quantum spin systems at finite temperatures.     

Bond operator theory for the frustrated anisotropic Heisenberg antiferromagnet on a square lattice

The quantum anisotropic antiferromagnetic Heisenberg model with single ion anisotropy, spin S=1 and up to the next-next-nearest neighbor coupling (the J₁–J₂–J₃ model) on a square lattice, is studied using the bond-operator formalism in a mean field approximation. The quantum phase transitions at zero temperature are obtained. The model features a complex T=0 phase diagram, whose ordering vector is subject to quantum corrections with respect to the classical limit. The phase diagram shows a quantum paramagnetic phase situated among Neél, spiral and collinear states.     

Dobrushin states for classical spin systems with complex interactions

We consider a classical spin system on the hypercubic lattice with a general interaction of the form $$ H = \frac{\beta } {4}\sum\limits_{\begin{array}{*{20}c} {x,y:} \\ {|x - y| = 1} \\ \end{array} } {|s_x - s_y | - h} \sum\limits_x {x{}_x + } \sum\limits_A {\lambda _A \prod\limits_{y \in A} {S_y } } $$ are the spin variables, Β is the inverse temperature,h is the magnetic field, andλ _A are translation-invariant coupling constants satisfyingλ _A = 0 if diamA > l. No symmetry relating the configurationss ={sinx} and-s=-s _x is assumed. In dimension d-3, we construct low-temperature States which break the translation invariance of the system by introducing so-called Dobrushin boundary conditions which force a horizontal interface into the system. In contrast to previous constructions, our methods work equally well for complex interactions, and should therefore be generalizable to quantum spin systems.     

On the dynamics of a quantum system which is classically chaotic

We investigate the dynamics of one anisotropic spin in an external time-dependent magnetic field. The classical dynamics of the system is nonintegrable (and very similar to the standard map). We present results on this model for a quantum spin (i.e. for finite values of the spin lengthS). In particular we discuss the semiclassical regime,S1, using the concept of Wigner functions to define a suitable probability distribution. In regular regions of phase space the time evolution of the probability distribution shows an algebraic decay of correlations as in quantum mechanics. In chaotic regions of phase space it is characterised by a positive Lyapunov exponent which depends onS. In these regions semiclassical trajectories coincide with classical ones fort <₀ where ₀InS.