Antiferromagnetic Heisenberg Interactions Research Articles

Emergence of vortex state in the S=1 Kitaev-Heisenberg model with single-ion anisotropy

The search for Kitaev spin liquid states has recently broadened to include a number of honeycomb materials with integer spin moments. The qualitative difference with their spin-1/2 counterparts is the presence of single-ion anisotropy (SIA). This motivates our investigation of the effects of SIA on the ground state of the spin-1 Kitaev-Heisenberg (KH) model using the density-matrix renormalization group which allows construction of detailed phase diagrams around the Kitaev points. We demonstrate that positive out-of-plane SIA induces an in-plane vortex state without the need for off-diagonal interactions. Conversely, negative SIA facilitates the emergence of a state in the presence of antiferromagnetic Heisenberg interactions, whereas a state can emerge for ferromagnetic Heisenberg coupling. These findings, pertinent even for weak SIA, not only enhance our theoretical understanding of the spin-1 KH model but also suggest experimental prospects for observing these novel magnetic states in material realizations. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Ground state of the spin-1/2 Ising–Heisenberg distorted diamond chain with ferromagnetic Ising and antiferromagnetic Heisenberg interactions

Ground state of the spin-1/2 Ising–Heisenberg distorted diamond chain with ferromagnetic Ising and antiferromagnetic Heisenberg interactions

Spin-1/2 Ising-Heisenberg distorted diamond chain with antiferromagnetic Ising and ferromagnetic Heisenberg interactions

Spin-1/2 Ising-Heisenberg distorted diamond chain with antiferromagnetic Ising and ferromagnetic Heisenberg interactions

Classical model emerges in quantum entanglement: Quantum Monte Carlo study for an Ising-Heisenberg bilayer

By developing a cluster sampling of stochastic series expansion quantum Monte Carlo method, we investigate a spin-$1/2$ model on a bilayer square lattice with intra-layer ferromagnetic (FM) Ising coupling and inter-layer antiferromagnetic Heisenberg interaction. The continuous quantum phase transition which occurs at $g_c=3.045(2)$ between the FM Ising phase and the dimerized phase is studied via large scale simulations. From the analyzes of critical exponents we show that this phase transition belongs to the (2+1)-dimensional Ising universality class. Besides, the quantum entanglement is strong between the two layers, especially in dimerized phase. The effective Hamiltonian of single layer seems like a transverse field Ising model. However, we found the quantum entanglement Hamiltonian is a pure classical Ising model without any quantum fluctuations. Furthermore, we give a more general explanation about how a classical entanglement Hamiltonian emerges.

Thermodynamics of the Spin Square

Small spin systems at the interface between analytical studies and experimental application have been intensively studied in recent decades. The spin ring consisting of four spins with uniform antiferromagnetic Heisenberg interaction is an example of a completely integrable system, in the double sense: quantum mechanical and classical. However, this does not automatically imply that the thermodynamic quantities of the classical system can also be calculated explicitly. In this work, we derive analytical expressions for the density of states, the partition function, specific heat, entropy, and susceptibility. These theoretical results are confirmed by numerical tests. This allows us to compare the quantum mechanical quantities for increasing spin quantum numbers s with their classical counterparts in the classical limit srightarrow infty . As expected, a good agreement is obtained, except for the low temperature region. However, this region shrinks with increasing s, so that the classical state variables emerge as envelopes of the quantum mechanical ones.

The exact solution of the edge-modified graphene nanoribbon-like structure Ising-Heisenberg spin (1,1/2) system

A two-fold rotational symmetry ferromagnetic Ising-Heisenberg model modified by edge spin ( S = 1 / 2 ) with antiferromagnetic Heisenberg exchange interaction, whose shape is graphene nanoribbon-like has been constructed, and the host Ising spin ( S = 1 ). By use of the star-triangle transformation and the transfer matrix method, the edge states, thermodynamics and magnetization behavior of the system display various properties. The results perform that the unique edge-spin states and the host-spin states of the system are influenced with each other. And there are eleven different ground state phases, which are presented as the values of magnetic susceptibility multiplied by temperature at ultra-low temperature in the parameter space of single-ion anisotropy and antiferromagnetic Heisenberg interaction. Because of a large number of excited states close to the ground state, the specific heat curve shows multi-peak phenomena, which are analyzed by corresponding to the entropy of the system. The magnetization process of the system is complex, due to the direct correlation of the edge-spin states and the host-spin states of system, in which many different magnetization plateaus appear. The rigorous results of the number and width of magnetization plateaus and the saturation of the magnetization are written. This study offers unique opportunities for future technological applications such as proposed designs of graphene-based quantum spintronic devices as well as magnetic ordering.

Electric and magnetic properties of higher-spin Kondo-Heisenberg models at strong coupling

We study higher-spin ($S\ensuremath{\ge}1$) generalization of the one-dimensional Kondo-Heisenberg model, in which the local spin-$S$ moments of the Kondo-lattice model interact with each other via the antiferromagnetic Heisenberg interaction (${J}_{\text{H}}$), by analytical and numerical methods. The strong-coupling (i.e., large Kondo coupling) expansion maps out an insulating phase at half-filling whose magnetic correlation depends on the parity of $2S$ as well as a ferromagnetic metallic phase which dominates the strong-coupling region at generic fillings. Then, we carried out the density-matrix renormalization-group simulations for $S=1$ to closely investigate the phase structure at large but finite Kondo coupling. At half-filling, the Kondo coupling and ${J}_{\text{H}}$ do not compete and the insulating spin-gapless phase is stable, while the competition of the two leads to a stepwise collapse of the strong-coupling ferromagnetism via an intervening dimerized insulating phase with power-law spin correlation at quarter-filling.

Frustrated spin-[formula omitted] Heisenberg magnet on an [formula omitted]-stacked honeycomb bilayer: High-order study of the collinear magnetic phases of the [formula omitted]–[formula omitted]–[formula omitted] model

The zero-temperature phase diagram of the frustrated spin-12J1–J2–J1⊥ Heisenberg magnet on an AA-stacked honeycomb bilayer lattice is studied using the coupled cluster method implemented to very high orders. On each monolayer the spins interact via nearest-neighbor (NN) and frustrating next-nearest-neighbor isotropic antiferromagnetic Heisenberg interactions with respective strength parameters J1>0 and J2≡κJ1>0. The two layers are coupled such that NN interlayer pairs of spins also interact via a similar isotropic Heisenberg interaction of strength J1⊥≡δJ1, which may be of either sign. In particular, we locate with high accuracy the complete phase boundaries in the κ–δ half-plane with κ>0 of the two quasiclassical collinear antiferromagnetic phases with Néel or Néel-II magnetic order in each monolayer, and the interlayer NN pairs of spins either aligned (for δ<0) or anti-aligned (for δ>0) to one another. Compared to the two-sublattice Néel order, in which all NN intralayer pairs of spins are antiparallel to one another, the four-sublattice Néel-II order is characterized by NN intralayer pairs of spins on the honeycomb lattice being antiparallel to one another along zigzag (or sawtooth) chains in a specified direction from among the three equivalent honeycomb-lattice directions, and parallel to one another for the corresponding interchain pairs.

Loss of classicality in alternating spin-/spin-1 chain, in the presence of next-neighbor couplings and Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interactions

We have considered and alternating spin-/spin-1 chain with nearest-neighbor (NN) (J 1), next-nearest neighbor (NNN) (J 2) antiferromagnetic (AFM) Heisenberg interactions along with z-component of the Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya (DM) (Dz ) interaction. The Hamiltonian has been studied using (a) linear spin-wave theory and (b) density matrix renormalization group. The system had been reported earlier as a classical ferrimagnet only when NN exchange interactions are present. Both the AFM NNN interactions and DM interactions introduce strong quantum fluctuations and due to which all the signatures of ferrimagnetism vanishes. We find that the nonzero J 2 introduces strong quantum fluctuations in each of the spin sites due to which the z-components of both spin-1 and spin-1/2 sites average out to be zero. The ground state becomes a singlet. The presence of J 1 along with Dz introduces a short range order but develops long range order along the XY plane. J 1 along with J 2 induces competing phases with structure factor showing sharp and wide peaks, at two different angles reflecting the spin spiral structure locally as well as in the underlying lattice. Interestingly, we find that the D z term removes the local spin spiral structure in z-direction, while developing a spiral order in the XY plane.

Theoretical study of quantum spin liquids in S=12 hyper-hyperkagome magnets: Classification, heat capacity, and dynamical spin structure factor

Recent experiments suggest a quantum spin liquid ground state in the material PbCuTe$_2$O$_6$, where $S=1/2$ moments are coupled by antiferromagnetic Heisenberg interactions into a three dimensional structure of corner sharing triangles dubbed the hyper-hyperkagome lattice. It exhibits a richer connectivity, and thus likely a stronger geometric frustration, than the relatively well studied hyperkagome lattice. Here, we investigate the possible quantum spin liquids in the $S=1/2$ hyper-hyperkagome magnet using the complex fermion mean field theory. Extending the results of a previous projective symmetry group analysis, we identify only two $\mathbb{Z}_2$ spin liquids and a $U(1)$ spin liquid that are compatible with the hyper-hyperkagome structure. The $U(1)$ spin liquid has a spinon Fermi surface. For the $\mathbb{Z}_2$ spin liquids, one has a small excitation gap, while the other is gapless and proximate to the $U(1)$ spin liquid. We show that the gapped and gapless spin liquids can in principle be distinguished by heat capacity measurements. Moreover, we calculate the dynamical spin structure factors of all three spin liquids and find that they highly resemble the inelastic neutron scattering spectra of PbCuTe$_2$O$_6$. Implications of our work to the experiments, as well as its relations to the existing theoretical studies, are discussed.

Four-Spin Terms and the Origin of the Chiral Spin Liquid in Mott Insulators on the Triangular Lattice.

At strong repulsion, the triangular-lattice Hubbard model is described by s=1/2 spins with nearest-neighbor antiferromagnetic Heisenberg interactions and exhibits conventional 120° order. Using the infinite density matrix renormalization group and exact diagonalization, we study the effect of the additional four-spin interactions naturally generated from the underlying Mott-insulator physics of electrons as the repulsion decreases. Although these interactions have historically been connected with a gapless ground state with emergent spinon Fermi surface, we find that, at physically relevant parameters, they stabilize a chiral spin liquid (CSL) of Kalmeyer-Laughlin (KL) type, clarifying observations in recent studies of the Hubbard model. We then present a self-consistent solution based on a mean-field rewriting of the interaction to obtain a Hamiltonian with similarities to the parent Hamiltonian of the KL state, providing a physical understanding for the origin of the CSL.

Orbital Chern Insulator and Quantum Phase Diagram of a Kagome Electron System with Half-Filled Flat Bands.

We study the quantum phase diagram of electrons on kagome lattice with half-filled lowest flat bands by considering the antiferromagnetic Heisenberg interaction J, and short-range Coulomb interaction V. In the weak J regime, we identify a fully spin-polarized phase. The presence of finite V drives a spontaneous chiral current, which makes the system an orbital Chern insulator by contributing an orbital magnetization. Such an out-of-plane orbital magnetization allows the presence of a Chern insulating phase independent of the spin orientation in contrast to the spin-orbit coupling induced Chern insulator that disappears with in-plane ferromagnetism constrained by symmetry. Such a symmetry difference provides a criterion to distinguish the physical origin of topological responses in kagome systems. The orbital Chern insulator is robust against small coupling J. By further increasing J, we find that the ferromagnetic topological phase is suppressed, which first becomes partially polarized and then enters a nonmagnetic phase with spin and charge nematicity. The frustrated flat band allows the spin and Coulomb interaction to play an essential role in determining the quantum phases.

Proximate Kitaev system for an intermediate magnetic phase in in-plane magnetic fields

Motivated by the magnetic phase transition of a proximate Kitaev system $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$ in the presence of a magnetic field, we study the simplest but essential quantum spin model with the ferromagnetic nearest neighboring (NN) Kitaev interaction and additional antiferromagnetic third NN Heisenberg interaction. Employing both exact diagonalization and density matrix renormalization group methods, we demonstrate that the model shows the magnetic phase transition from the zigzag order phase to the spin polarized phase through an intermediate phase in both cases when an in-plane magnetic field is applied perpendicular to the NN bond direction and when an out-of-plane field is applied, in good agreement with experimental observations. Furthermore, we verify that additional symmetric off-diagonal $\Gamma$ interaction and ferromagnetic Heisenberg interaction between NN spins can both suppress the intermediate phase with the in-plane field. Our result gives important clues on determining relevant interactions in the field-induced magnetic phase transition of proximate Kiteav systems.

Spin-1 pyrochlore antiferromagnets: Theory, model, and materials’ survey

Pyrochlore magnets can be a unique platform to demonstrate numerous important concepts and applications of frustrated magnetic physics in modern condensed matter physics. Most works on pyrochlore magnets deal with the interacting spin-1/2 local moments, while much less works have studied the spin-1 systems. We here review the physics with interacting spin-1 local moments on the pyrochlore lattice to illustrate the potentially interesting physics associated with spin-1 magnets. The generic pyrochlore spin-1 model includes the antiferromagnetic Heisenberg interaction, the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction and the single-ion spin anisotropy. The global phase diagram of this generic spin model is reviewed, and the relation between different quantum phases in the phase diagram is clarified. The critical properties of the transition from the parent quantum paramagnet to the proximate orders are discussed. The presence of quantum order by disorder in the parts of the ordered phases is analyzed. The elementary excitations with respect to the ground states are further reviewed, and the topological natures of these excitations are carefully addressed. The materials’ relevance of the spin-1 pyrochlore magnets are finally reviewed. This review may provide insights about the interesting spin-1 local moments on frustrated systems.

Effects of magnon-magnon interactions in a noncollinear magnet induced by combination of a symmetric and an antisymmetric exchange interaction

We study magnon-magnon interactions and their effects in a spiral magnet induced by combination of an antiferromagnetic Heisenberg interaction and a Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya interaction. We show that the main effect of magnon-magnon interactions on low-energy magnons is to renormalize the coefficient of energy dispersion. This could explain why some experiments are consistent with the noninteracting theory. We also show that although the magnon-magnon interactions induce the pair amplitude for low-energy magnons, its effect on the excitation energy is negligible. This suggests that for magnons the finite pair amplitude does not necessarily accompany the pair condensation.

Pronounced 23 magnetization plateau in a frustrated S=1 isolated spin-triangle compound: Interplay between Heisenberg and biquadratic exchange interactions

We report the synthesis and characterization of a new quantum magnet [2-[Bis(2-hydroxybenzyl)aminomethyl]pyridine]Ni(II)-trimer (BHAP-Ni3) in single-crystalline form. Our combined experimental and theoretical investigations reveal an exotic spin state that stabilizes a robust 2/3 magnetization plateau between 7 and 20 T in an external magnetic field. AC-susceptibility measurements show the absence of any magnetic order/glassy state down to 60 mK. The magnetic ground state is disordered and specific-heat measurements reveal the gapped nature of the spin excitations. Most interestingly, our theoretical modeling suggests that the 2/3 magnetization plateau emerges due to the interplay between antiferromagnetic Heisenberg and biquadratic exchange interactions within nearly isolated spin $S$ = 1 triangles.

Superexchange interactions between spin-orbit-coupled j≈1/2 ions in oxides with face-sharing ligand octahedra

Using ab initio wave-function-based calculations, we provide valuable insights with regard to the magnetic exchange in 5$d$ and 4$d$ oxides with face-sharing ligand octahedra, BaIrO$_3$ and BaRhO$_3$. Surprisingly strong antiferromagnetic Heisenberg interactions as large as 400 meV are computed for idealized iridate structures with 90$^{\circ}$ Ir-O-Ir bond angles and in the range of 125 meV for angles of 80$^{\circ}$ as measured experimentally in BaIrO$_3$. These estimates exceed the values derived so far for corner-sharing and edge-sharing systems and motivate more detailed experimental investigations of quantum magnets with extended 5$d$/4$d$ orbitals and networks of face-sharing ligand cages. The strong electron-lattice couplings evidenced by our calculations suggest rich phase diagrams as function of strain and pressure, a research direction with much potential for materials of this type.

Frustration and anisotropic exchange in ytterbium magnets with edge-shared octahedra

We consider the structure of anisotropic exchange interactions in ytterbium-based insulating rare-earth magnets built from edge-sharing octahedra. We argue the features of trivalent ytterbium and this structural configuration allow for a qualitative determination of the different anisotropic exchange regimes that may manifest in such compounds. The validity of such super-exchange calculations is tested through comparison to the well-characterized breathing pyrochlore compound Ba$_3$Yb$_2$Zn$_5$O$_{11}$. With this in hand, we then consider application to three-dimensional pyrochlore spinels as well as two-dimensional honeycomb and triangular lattice systems built from such edge-sharing octahedra. We find an extended regime of robust emergent weak anisotropy with dominant antiferromagnetic Heisenberg interactions as well as smaller regions with strong anisotropy. We discuss the implications of our results for known compounds with the above structures, such as the spinels AYb$_2$X$_4$ (A = Cd, Mg, X = S, Se), the triangular compound YbMgGaO$_4$, which have recently emerged as promising candidates for observing unconventional magnetic phenomena. Finally, we speculate on implications for the R$_2$M$_2$O$_7$ pyrochlore compounds and some little studied honeycomb ytterbium magnets.

Inplane anisotropy of longitudinal thermal conductivities and weak localization of magnons in a disordered spiral magnet

We demonstrate the inplane anisotropy of longitudinal thermal conductivities and the weak localization of magnons in a disordered screw-type spiral magnet on a square lattice. We consider a disordered spin system, described by a spin Hamiltonian for the antiferromagnetic Heisenberg interaction and the Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya interaction with the mean-field type potential of impurities. We derive longitudinal thermal conductivities for the disordered screw-type spiral magnet in the weak-localization regime by using the linear-response theory with the linear-spin-wave approximation and performing perturbation calculations. We show that the inplane longitudinal thermal conductivities are anisotropic due to the Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya interaction. This anisotropy may be useful for experimentally estimating the magnitude of a ratio of the Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya interaction to the Heisenberg interaction. We also show that the main correction term gives a logarithmic suppression with the length scale due to the critical back scattering. This suggests that the weak localization of magnons is ubiquitous for the disordered two-dimensional magnets having global time-reversal symmetry. We finally discuss several implications for further research.

Competing phases and topological excitations of spin-1 pyrochlore antiferromagnets

Most works on pyrochlore magnets deal with the interacting spin-1/2 local moments. We here study the spin-one local moments on the pyrochlore lattice, and propose a generic interacting spin model on a pyrochlore lattice. Our spin model includes the antiferromagnetic Heisenberg interaction, the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction and the single-ion spin anisotropy. We develop a flavor wave theory and combine with a mean-field approach to study the global phase diagram of this model and establish the relation between different phases in the phase diagram. We find the regime of the quantum paramagnetic phase where a degenerate line of the magnetic excitations emerges in the momentum space. We further predict the critical properties of the transition out of the quantum paramagnet to the proximate orders. The presence of quantum order by disorder in the parts of the ordered phases is then suggested. We point out the existence of degenerate and topological excitations in various phases. We discuss the relevance with fluoride pyrochlore material NaCaNi$_2$F$_7$ and explain the role of the spin-orbit coupling and the magnetic structures of the Ru-based pyrochlore A$_2$Ru$_2$O$_7$ and the Mo-based pyrochlore A$_2$Mo$_2$O$_7$.