Field-induced quantum criticality of systems with ferromagnetically coupled structural spin units

The field-induced quantum criticality of compounds with ferromagnetically coupled structural spin units (as dimers and ladders) is explored by applying Wilson's renormalization group framework to an appropriate effective action. We determine the low-temperature phase boundary and the behavior of relevant quantities decreasing the temperature with the applied magnetic field fixed at its quantum critical point value. In this context, a plausible interpretation of some recent experimental results is also suggested.     

Bose-glass phases in disordered quantum magnets

In disordered spin systems with antiferromagnetic Heisenberg exchange, transitions into and out of a magnetic-field-induced ordered phase pass through unique regimes. Using quantum Monte Carlo simulations to study the zero-temperature behavior, these intermediate regions are determined to be Bose-glass phases. The localization of field-induced triplons causes a finite compressibility and, hence, glassiness in the disordered phase.     

Role of the spin anisotropy of the interchain interaction in weakly coupled antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chains

In quasi-one-dimensional(q1D) quantum antiferromagnets, the complicated interplay of intrachain and interchain exchange couplings may give rise to rich phenomena. Motivated by recent progress on field-induced phase transitions in the q1D antiferromagnetic(AFM) compound YbAlO_3, we study the phase diagram of spin-1/2 Heisenberg chains with Ising anisotropic interchain couplings under a longitudinal magnetic field via large-scale quantum Monte Carlo simulations,and investigate the role of the spin anisotropy of the interchain coupling on the ground state of the system. We find that the Ising anisotropy of the interchain coupling can significantly enhance the longitudinal spin correlations and drive the system to an incommensurate AFM phase at intermediate magnetic fields, which is understood as a longitudinal spin density wave(LSDW). With increasing field, the ground state changes to a canted AFM order with transverse spin correlations. We further provide a global phase diagram showing how the competition between the LSDW and the canted AFM states is tuned by the Ising anisotropy of the interchain coupling.     

交错Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya相互作用对反铁磁Heisenberg链纠缠的影响

主要研究了具有交错Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya(DM)相互作用的反铁磁Heisenberg链的纠缠.基于 density-matrix renormalization group(DMRG)的数值计算表明,交错DM相互作用消除了系统在外磁场H=2处的二级量子相变,从而量子纠缠反常行为也随之消失;同时纠缠范围的发散也被消除,意味着该模型因子化点的消失.交错DM相互作用导致系统在任意强场下也不会达到铁磁饱和状态,从而保持着自旋纠缠.交错DM相互作用有利于通过外场调控纠缠程度和纠缠范 关键词： Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya相互作用 量子纠缠 量子相变 纠缠范围     

Nuclear magnetic resonance measurement station in SECUF using hybrid superconducting magnets

Nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) is one of the most powerful tools to explore new quantum states of condensed matter induced by high magnetic fields at a microscopic level. High magnetic field enhances the intensity of the NMR signal, and more importantly, can induce novel phenomena. In this article, examples are given on the field-induced charge density wave(CDW) in high-Tc superconductors and on the studies of quantum spin liquids. We provide a brief introduction to the high magnetic field NMR platform, the station 4 of the Synergetic Extreme Condition User Facility(SECUF), being built at Huairou, Beijing.     

Quantum and thermal transitions out of the supersolid phase of a 2D quantum antiferromagnet

We investigate the thermodynamic properties of a field-induced supersolid phase in a 2D quantum antiferromagnet model. Using quantum Monte Carlo simulations, a very rich phase diagram is mapped out in the temperature-magnetic-field plane, with an extended supersolid region where a diagonal (solid) order coexists with a finite XY spin stiffness (superfluid). The various quantum and thermal transitions out of the supersolid state are characterized. Experimental consequences in the context of field-induced magnetization plateau materials are briefly discussed.     

Hanle effect driven by weak localization

The influence of weak localization on the Hanle effect in a two-dimensional system with a spin-split spectrum is considered. We show that weak localization drastically changes the dependence of a stationary spin polarization S on an external magnetic field B. In particular, the nonanalytic dependence of S on B is predicted for III-V-based quantum wells grown in the [110] direction and for the [100]-grown quantum wells having equal strengths of Dresselhaus and Bychkov-Rashba spin-orbit coupling. It is shown that in a weakly localized regime the components of S are discontinuous at B = 0. At low B, the magnetic field-induced rotation of the stationary polarization is determined by quantum interference effects. This implies that the Hanle effect in such systems is totally driven by weak localization.     

Novel ordering of an S = 1/2 quasi-1d Ising-like antiferromagnet in magnetic field

High-field specific heat measurements on BaCo(2)V(2)O(8), which is a good realization of an S=1/2 quasi-one-dimensional (1D) Ising-like antifferomagnet, have been performed in magnetic fields up to 12 T along the chain and at temperature down to 200 mK. We have found a new magnetic ordered state in the field-induced phase above H(c) approximately 3.9 T. We suggest that a novel type of the incommensurate order, which is caused by the quantum effect inherent in the S=1/2 quasi-1D Ising-like antiferromagnet, appears in the field-induced phase.     

Gate control of quantum dot-based electron spin–orbit qubits

We investigate theoretically the coherent spin dynamics of gate control of quantum dot-based electron spin–orbit qubits subjected to a tilted magnetic field under electric-dipole spin resonance (EDSR). Our results reveal that Rabi oscillation of qubit states can be manipulated electrically based on rapid gate control of SOC strength. The Rabi frequency is strongly dependent on the gate-induced electric field, the strength and orientation of the applied magnetic field. There are two major EDSR mechanisms. One arises from electric field-induced spin–orbit hybridization, and the other arises from magnetic field-induced energy-level crossing. The SOC introduced by the gate-induced electric field allows AC electric fields to drive coherent Rabi oscillations between spin-up and -down states. After the crossing of the energy-levels with the magnetic field, the spin-transfer crossing results in Rabi oscillation irrespective of whether or not the external electric field is present. The spin–orbit qubit is transferred into the orbit qubit. Rabi oscillation is anisotropic and periodic with respect to the tilted and in-plane orientation of the magnetic field originating from the interplay of the SOC, orbital, and Zeeman effects. The strong electrically-controlled SOC strength suggests the possibility for scalable applications of gate-controllable spin–orbit qubits.     

Magnetic fluctuations at a field-induced quantum phase transition

We report an inelastic neutron-scattering study at the field-induced magnetic quantum phase transition of CeCu5.8Au0.2. The data can be described better by the spin-density-wave scenario than by a local quantum critical point, while the latter scenario was shown to be applicable to the zero-field concentration-tuned quantum phase transition in CeCu6-xAux for x=0.1. This constitutes direct microscopic evidence for a difference in the quantum fluctuation spectra at a magnetic quantum critical point driven by different tuning parameters.     

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 percolation in two-dimensional antiferromagnets

The interplay of geometric randomness and strong quantum fluctuations is an exciting topic in quantum many-body physics, leading to the emergence of novel quantum phases in strongly correlated electron systems. Recent investigations have focused on the case of homogeneous site and bond dilution in the quantum antiferromagnet on the square lattice, reporting a classical geometric percolation transition between magnetic order and disorder. In this study we show how inhomogeneous bond dilution leads to percolative quantum phase transitions, which we have studied extensively by quantum Monte Carlo simulations. Quantum percolation introduces a new class of two-dimensional spin liquids, characterized by an infinite percolating network with vanishing antiferromagnetic order parameter.     

Nexus between quantum criticality and phase formation in U(Ru1-xRhx)2Si2

Simplification of the magnetic field-versus-temperature phase diagram and quantum criticality in URu2Si2 dilutely doped with Rh are studied by measuring the magnetization and resistivity in magnetic fields of up to 45 T. For x=4%, the hidden order is completely destroyed, leaving a single field-induced phase II. A correlation between the field dependence of this phase and that of the quantum critical point, combined with the suppression of the T2 coefficient of the resistivity within it, implicates field-tuned quantum criticality as an important factor in phase formation.     

Toward the theory of quantum phase transitions in DTN-type van Vleck antiferromagnets

A magnetic field-induced singlet-to-antiferromagnetic quantum magnetic phase transition has been considered. It has been shown that the phenomenon can be described within an approach similar to the Landau theory of phase transitions. The case of an oblique magnetic field has been studied and the critical field-angle phase diagram has been determined. The phase diagram agrees with the experimental one observed in DTN.     

Bose-Einstein condensation of S = 1 nickel spin degrees of freedom in NiCl2-4SC(NH2)2

It has recently been suggested that the organic compound NiCl2-4SC(NH2)2 (DTN) undergoes field-induced Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) of the Ni spin degrees of freedom. The Ni S = 1 spins exhibit three-dimensional XY antiferromagnetism above a critical field H(c1) approximately 2 T. The spin fluid can be described as a gas of hard-core bosons where the field-induced antiferromagnetic transition corresponds to Bose-Einstein condensation. We have determined the spin Hamiltonian of DTN using inelastic neutron diffraction measurements, and we have studied the high-field phase diagram by means of specific heat and magnetocaloric effect measurements. Our results show that the field-temperature phase boundary approaches a power-law H - H(c1) proportional variant T(alpha)(c) near the quantum critical point, with an exponent that is consistent with the 3D BEC universal value of alpha = 1.5.     

Excitation hierarchy of the quantum sine-gordon spin chain in a strong magnetic field

The magnetic excitation spectrum of copper pyrimidine dinitrate, a material containing S = 1 / 2 antiferromagnetic chains with alternating g tensor and the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction and exhibiting a field-induced spin gap, is probed using submillimeter wave electron spin resonance spectroscopy. Ten excitation modes are resolved in the low-temperature spectrum, and their frequency-field diagram is systematically studied in magnetic fields up to 25 T. The experimental data are sufficiently detailed to make a very accurate comparison with predictions based on the quantum sine-Gordon field theory. Signatures of three breather branches and a soliton, as well as those of several multiparticle excitation modes, are identified.     

Quantum projection in an Ising spin liquid

A transverse magnetic field is used to scan the diagonal and off-diagonal susceptibility of the uniaxial quantum magnet, LiHo(0.045) Y(0.955)F(4). Clusters of strongly coupled spins act as the primary source for the response functions, which result from a field-induced quantum projection of the system into a classically forbidden (meaning non-Ising) regime. Calculations based on spin pairs reproduce only some features of the data and fail to predict the measured off-diagonal response, providing evidence of a multispin collective state.     

Frustration-induced eta inversion in the S=1/2 bond-alternating spin chain

We study the frustration-induced enhancement of the incommensurate correlation for a bond-alternating quantum spin chain in a magnetic field, which is associated with a quasi-one-dimensional organic compound F5PNN. We investigate the temperature dependence of the staggered susceptibilities by using the density matrix renormalization group, and then find that the incommensurate correlation becomes dominant in a certain range of the magnetic field. We also discuss the mechanism of this enhancement on the basis of the mapping to the effective S=1/2 XXZ chain and a possibility of the field-induced incommensurate long-range order.