arXiv subjects

Laura Messio

Publications and source records attributed to Laura Messio.

22 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2012

Three-sublattice order in the SU(3) Heisenberg model on the square and triangular lattice

We present a numerical study of the SU(3) Heisenberg model of three-flavor fermions on the triangular and square lattice by means of the density-matrix renormalization group (DMRG) and infinite projected entangled-pair states (iPEPS). For the triangular lattice we confirm that the ground state has a three-sublattice order with a finite ordered moment which is compatible with the result from linear flavor wave theory (LFWT). The same type of order has recently been predicted also for the square lattice [PRL 105, 265301 (2010)] from LFWT and exact diagonalization. However, for this case the ordered moment cannot be computed based on LFWT due to divergent fluctuations. Our numerical study clearly supports this three-sublattice order, with an ordered moment of m=0.2-0.4 in the thermodynamic limit.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2011

The kagome antiferromagnet: a chiral topological spin liquid ?

Inspired by the recent discovery of a new instability towards a chiral phase of the classical Heisenberg model on the kagome lattice, we propose a specific chiral spin liquid that reconciles different, well-established results concerning both the classical and quantum models. This proposal is analyzed in an extended mean-field Schwinger boson framework encompassing time reversal symmetry breaking phases which allows both a classical and a quantum phase description. At low temperatures, we find quantum fluctuations favor this chiral phase, which is stable against small perturbations of second and third neighbor interactions. For spin-1/2 this phase may be, beyond mean-field, a chiral gapped spin liquid. Such a phase is consistent with Density Matrix Renormalization Group results of Yan et al. (Science 322, 1173 (2011)). Mysterious features of the low lying excitations of exact diagonalization spectra also find an explanation in this framework. Moreover, thermal fluctuations compete with quantum ones and induce a transition from this flux phase to a planar zero flux phase at a non zero value of the renormalized temperature (T/S^2), reconciling these results with those obtained for the classical system.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2011

Lattice symmetries and regular states in classical frustrated antiferromagnets

We consider some classical and frustrated lattice spin models with global O(3) spin symmetry. There is no general analytical method to find a ground-state if the spin dependence of the Hamiltonian is more than quadratic (i.e. beyond the Heisenberg model) and/or if the lattice has more than one site per unit cell. To deal with these situations, we introduce a family of variational spin configurations, dubbed "regular states", which respect all the lattice symmetries modulo global O(3) spin transformations (rotations and/or spin flips). The construction of these states is explicited through a group theoretical approach, and all the regular states on the square, triangular, honeycomb and kagome lattices are listed. Their equal time structure factors and powder-averages are shown for comparison with experiments. All the well known Néel states with 2 or 3 sublattices appear amongst regular states on various lattices, but the regular states also encompass exotic non-planar states with cubic, tetrahedral or cuboctahedral geometry of the T=0 order parameter. Whatever the details of the Hamiltonian (with the same symmetry group), a large fraction of these regular states are energetically stationary with respect to small deviations of the spins. In fact these regular states appear as exact ground-states in a very large range of parameter space of the simplest models that we have been looking at. As examples, we display the variational phase diagrams of the J1-J2-J3 Heisenberg model on all the previous lattices as well as that of the J1-J2-K ring-exchange model on square and triangular lattices.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2008

Thermal destruction of chiral order in a two-dimensional model of coupled trihedra

We introduce a minimal model describing the physics of classical two-dimensional (2D) frustrated Heisenberg systems, where spins order in a non-planar way at T=0. This model, consisting of coupled trihedra (or Ising-$\mathbb{R}P^3$ model), encompasses Ising (chiral) degrees of freedom, spin-wave excitations and $\Z_2$ vortices. Extensive Monte Carlo simulations show that the T=0 chiral order disappears at finite temperature in a continuous phase transition in the 2D Ising universality class, despite misleading intermediate-size effects observed at the transition. The analysis of configurations reveals that short-range spin fluctuations and $\Z_2$ vortices proliferate near the chiral domain walls explaining the strong renormalization of the transition temperature. Chiral domain walls can themselves carry an unlocalized $\Z_2$ topological charge, and vortices are then preferentially paired with charged walls. Further, we conjecture that the anomalous size-effects suggest the proximity of the present model to a tricritical point. A body of results is presented, that all support this claim: (i) First-order transitions obtained by Monte Carlo simulations on several related models (ii) Approximate mapping between the Ising-$\mathbb{R}P^3$ model and a dilute Ising model (exhibiting a tricritical point) and, finally, (iii) Mean-field results obtained for Ising-multispin Hamiltonians, derived from the high-temperature expansion for the vector spins of the Ising-$\mathbb{R}P^3$ model.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗