Field-induced transitions in a kagomé antiferromagnet

The thermal order by disorder effect in magnetic field is studied for a classical Heisenberg antiferromagnet on the Kagomé lattice. Using analytical arguments we predict a unique H- T phase diagram for this strongly frustrated magnet: states with a coplanar and a uniaxial triatic order parameter, respectively, at low and high magnetic fields and an incompressible collinear spin-liquid state at one-third of the saturation field. We also present the Monte Carlo data which confirm the existence of these phases.     

Spin-liquid state for two-dimensional Heisenberg antiferromagnets on a kagomé lattice

The magnetic properties of the spin liquid state of the antiferromagnetic Heisenberg model on the kagomé lattice are investigated within the self-consistent mean-field theory. The results show that the spin liquid ground-state energy per site is , which is in very good agreement with the best numerical estimates. The spin structure factor and spin susceptibility are also discussed. Received 1 December 1998 and Received in final form 12 April 1999     

Quantum Hall effect in kagomé lattices under staggered magnetic field

The interplay of staggered magnetic field (SMF) and uniform magnetic field (UMF) on the quantum Hall effect (QHE) in kagomé lattices is investigated in the weak UMF limit. The topological band gaps coming from SMF are robust against UMF although the extended bands split into a series of Landau levels. With SMF applied, in the unconventional QHE region, one plateau of Hall conductance becomes wider and the others are compressed. Meanwhile, one of the two series of integer Hall plateaus splits and the resulting two series of Hall plateaus still exhibit the integer behavior. The Hall conductance varies with SMF step by step with the step height being e(2)/h or 2e(2)/h according to the QHE being conventional or unconventional. In the transitional regions, redistribution of Chern numbers happens even in the weak UMF limit.     

Low-energy singlets in the Heisenberg antiferromagnet on the kagomé lattice

The spin-1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet on the kagomé lattice, is mapped by contractor renormalization to a spin-pseudospin Hamiltonian on the triangular superlattice. Variationally, we find a ground state with columnar dimer order. Dimer orientation fluctuations are described by an effective O(2) model at energies above an exponentially suppressed clock mass scale. Our results explain the large density of low-energy singlets observed numerically, and the nonmagnetic T2 specific heat observed experimentally.     

Partial field-induced magnetic order in the spin-liquid kagomé Nd3Ga5SiO14

The distorted kagomé system Nd3Ga5SiO14 has been investigated with neutron scattering down to 0.046 K with no evidence of magnetic long range order of the Nd3+ moments in a zero field. Substantial diffuse scattering is observed which is in agreement with nearest-neighbor correlations between the fluctuating spins. Upon the application of a field in the c direction, the diffuse scattering is reduced in intensity while the magnetic Bragg peaks grow in intensity to saturate by 1 T to 1/2 of the expected magnetization. These measurements suggest that a unique spin-liquid state develops in Nd3Ga5SiO14 with a frustration index of f approximately |theta|/T_{C}> or =1300.     

Topological quantum phase transitions and topological flat bands on the kagomé lattice

We investigate the topological properties of the tight-binding electrons on the two-dimensional kagomé lattice with two kinds of short-range hopping integral and two kinds of staggered magnetic flux. Considering the nearest-neighbor hopping (t(1)) with the staggered flux parameter φ(1) and the next nearest-neighbor hopping (t(2)) with the staggered flux parameter φ(2), we demonstrate a series of topological quantum phase transitions and find some topological bands with high Chern numbers, when tuning one parameter (t(2) or φ(2)) while the others are fixed. We have also found that, in some parameter regions, the system exhibits interesting topological flat bands with Chern number C =± 1 and a large gap above them, and the flatness ratio can reach a high value of about 170.     

Mott transition in kagomé lattice Hubbard model

We investigate the Mott transition in the kagomé lattice Hubbard model using a cluster extension of dynamical mean field theory. The calculation of the double occupancy, the density of states, and the static and dynamical spin correlation functions demonstrates that the system undergoes the first-order Mott transition at the Hubbard interaction U/W approximately 1.4 (W:bandwidth). In the metallic phase close to the Mott transition, we find the strong renormalization of three distinct bands, giving rise to the formation of heavy quasiparticles with strong frustrated interactions. It is elucidated that the quasiparticle states exhibit anomalous behavior in the temperature-dependent spin correlation functions.     

Spin-liquid correlations in the Nd-langasite anisotropic kagomé antiferromagnet

Dynamical magnetic correlations in the geometrically frustrated Nd(3)Ga(5)SiO(14) compound were probed by inelastic neutron scattering on a single crystal. A scattering signal with a ring shape distribution in reciprocal space and unprecedented dispersive features was discovered. Comparison with calculated static magnetic scattering from models of correlated spins suggests that the observed phase is a spin liquid inherent to an antiferromagnetic kagomé-like lattice of anisotropic Nd moments.     

Approaching the ground state of the kagomé antiferromagnet

Y0.5Ca0.5BaCo4O7 contains kagomé layers of Co ions, whose spins are strongly coupled, with a Curie-Weiss temperature of -2200 K. At low temperature, T=1.2 K, our diffuse neutron scattering study with polarization analysis reveals characteristic spin correlations close to a predicted two-dimensional coplanar ground state with staggered chirality. The absence of three-dimensional long-range antiferromagnetic order indicates negligible coupling between the kagomé layers. The scattering intensities are consistent with high spin S=3/2 states of Co2+ in the kagomé layers and low spin S=0 states for Co3+ ions on interlayer sites. Our observations agree with previous Monte Carlo simulations indicating a ground state of effectively short range, staggered chiral spin order.     

Aharonov–Anandan quantum phases and Landau quantization associated with a magnetic quadrupole moment

The arising of geometric quantum phases in the wave function of a moving particle possessing a magnetic quadrupole moment is investigated. It is shown that an Aharonov–Anandan quantum phase (Aharonov and Anandan, 1987) can be obtained in the quantum dynamics of a moving particle with a magnetic quadrupole moment. In particular, it is obtained as an analogue of the scalar Aharonov–Bohm effect for a neutral particle (Anandan, 1989). Besides, by confining the quantum particle to a hard-wall confining potential, the dependence of the energy levels on the geometric quantum phase is discussed and, as a consequence, persistent currents can arise from this dependence. Finally, an analogue of the Landau quantization is discussed.     

The Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition and correlations in the XY kagomé antiferromagnet

The problem of the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in the highly frustrated XY kagomé antiferromagnet is solved. The transition temperature is found. It is shown that the spin correlation function exponentially decays with distance even in the low-temperature phase, in contrast to the order parameter correlation function, which decays algebraically with distance.     

A disordered two-dimensional system in a magnetic field: Borel-Padé analysis

We report on a calculation of the density of states and the diffusion constant for the lowest Landau level for an electron moving in two dimensions in a random potential, and under a strong magnetic field. The calculation is based on renormalized perturbation expansion carried out to very high orders, which is summed using the method of Borel-Padé analysis. The results are obtained from an extensive series analysis involving 45 terms in the white noise case and 36 terms in the case of a spatially correlated random potential.