Searcharxiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/arXiv

arXiv · cond-mat/0110005

Fractionalization in an Easy-axis Kagome Antiferromagnet

L. Balents·M. P. A. Fisher·S. M. Girvin
View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

We study an antiferromagnetic spin-1/2 model with up to third nearest-neighbor couplings on the Kagome lattice in the easy-axis limit, and show that its low-energy dynamics are governed by a four site XY ring exchange Hamiltonian. Simple ``vortex pairing'' arguments suggest that the model sustains a novel fractionalized phase, which we confirm by exactly solving a modification of the Hamiltonian including a further four-site interaction. In this limit, the system is a featureless ``spin liquid'', with gaps to all excitations, in particular: deconfined S^z=1/2 bosonic ``spinons'' and Ising vortices or ``visons''. We use an Ising duality transformation to express vison correlators as non-local strings in terms of the spin operators, and calculate the string correlators using the ground state wavefunction of the modified Hamiltonian. Remarkably, this wavefunction is exactly given by a kind of Gutzwiller projection of an XY ferromagnet. Finally, we show that the deconfined spin liquid state persists over a finite range as the additional four-spin interaction is reduced, and study the effect of this reduction on the dynamics of spinons and visons.

Explore related subjects

cond-mat.str-elcond-mat.mes-hall

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

L. Balents, M. P. A. Fisher, S. M. Girvin. 2001-09-29. Fractionalization in an Easy-axis Kagome Antiferromagnet. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.65.224412

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

An Atlas of Classical Pyrochlore Spin Liquids

Frustrated magnetism in the pyrochlore lattice magnet has proven to be a most fruitful setting for the experimental and theoretical search for spin liquids. Besides the canonical case of spin ice, recent works have identified a variety of new classical and quantum spin liquids engendered by the generic nearest-neighbor anisotropic spin Hamiltonian for that lattice. However, a general framework for the thorough and systematic classification and characterization of these exotic states of matter has been lacking, as has an exhaustive list of all possible spin liquids that this model can support and, perhaps most interesting, what is the corresponding structure of their emergent field theory description. In this work, we develop such a theoretical framework to identify the interaction parameters stabilizing different classical spin liquids and derive their corresponding effective generalized Gauss's laws at low temperatures. Combining this with Monte Carlo simulations, we systematically identify all classical spin liquids for the general nearest-neighbor anisotropic spin Hamiltonian on the pyrochlore lattice. In doing so, we uncover new spin liquid models with exotic forms of generalized Gauss's law and multipole conservation laws. Our approach allows us to compile an atlas of all spin liquids realized in the phase diagram, providing a global picture of their mutual connections in parameter space and transitions between them. Our work will inform future theoretical and experimental studies of classical and quantum spin liquids on the pyrochlore lattice and help rationalize the exotic properties of pyrochlore magnets.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv2026

Spectroscopic Evidence of Competing Diagonal Spin Interactions and Spin Disproportionation in the Bilayer Nickelate La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_7$

A comprehensive spectroscopic map of the electronic, magnetic, and lattice excitations is presented for the bilayer nickelate La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_7$ using Raman scattering at ambient pressure. Upon entering the spin density wave state below 153 K, the $A_{1g}$ channel exhibits an abrupt electronic spectral gap with a clear isosbestic point. In contrast, the $B_{1g}$ and $B_{2g}$ channels are dominated by pronounced two-magnon (2M) excitations, representing a signature of incipient Mottness. These 2M signals in both channels constitute evidence for two distinct in-plane spin exchange interactions along the Ni-O bonding and its diagonal directions. Calculations based on the spin wave theory further reveal that the 2M mode in the $B_{2g}$ channel arises from the competition between two bond-diagonal antiferromagnetic interactions mediated by nickel $d_{x^2-y^2}$ orbitals. Furthermore, emergent low-energy 2M excitations below 10 meV are found to originate from distinct, weaker spin moments, supporting spin disproportionation. Simultaneously, an anomalous softening of $B_{1g}$ phonons from 280 down to 4.5 K is uncovered, suggesting the presence of an incipient lattice instability leading to checkerboard-type breathing modulations. Collectively, these findings identify a ground state of the bilayer nickelate characterized by competing bond-diagonal interactions, spin disproportionation, and an incipient lattice instability, establishing key ingredients for understanding the mechanism of nickelate superconductivity.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv2026

Direction-selective intertwined charge, orbital, and lattice orders under uniaxial strain in hole-doped manganite: La0.75Ca0.25MnO3

The complex interplay of charge, spin, orbital, and lattice degrees of freedom governs emergent phases in quantum materials, making strain a powerful control parameter. Recent advances in free-standing layer techniques have enabled extreme strains of nearly 8%, opening access to novel and often unexpected electronic and magnetic phases. Here, using a density functional theory approach, we investigate the effect of direction-selective uniaxial strain on the prototypical Jahn-Teller system La1-xCaxMnO3 (x = 0.25). We find that different strain directions stabilize qualitatively distinct structural, charge, and orbital responses, rather than merely different strengths of the same phase. In particular, extreme uniaxial strain selectively induces cooperative Jahn-Teller, breathing-like, and site-selective modulations, thereby enabling previously inaccessible intertwined orders in manganites. These results establish direction-selective uniaxial strain as a powerful and selective route for engineering emergent phases in quantum materials.

cond-mat.str-el↗