Ising Order Research Articles

Nature of Topological Phase Transition of Kitaev Quantum Spin Liquids.

We investigate the nature of the topological quantum phase transition between the gapless and gapped Kitaev quantum spin liquid phases away from the exactly solvable point. The transition is driven by anisotropy of the Kitaev couplings. At the critical point, the two Dirac points of the gapless Majorana modes merge, resulting in the formation of a semi-Dirac point with quadratic and linear band touching directions. We derive an effective Gross-Neveu-Yukawa-type field theory that describes the topological phase transition in the presence of additional magnetic interactions. We obtain the infrared scaling form of the propagator of the dynamical Ising order parameter field and perform a renormalization-group analysis. The universality of the transition is found to be different from that of symmetry-breaking phase transitions of semi-Dirac electrons. However, as in the electronic case, the Majorana fermions acquire an anomalous dimension, indicative of the breakdown of the fractionalized quasiparticle description.

Emergent Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless and Kugel-Khomskii Physics in the Triangular Lattice Bilayer Colbaltate.

Motivated by the experiments on the triangular lattice bilayer colbaltate K_{2}Co_{2}(SeO_{3})_{3}, we consider an extended XXZ model to explore the underlying physics. The model is composed of interacting Co^{2+} dimers on the triangular lattice, where the Co^{2+} ion provides an effective spin-1/2 local moment via the spin-orbit coupling and the crystal field effect. The intradimer interaction is dominant and would simply favor the local spin singlet, and the interdimer interactions compete with the interdimer interaction, leading to rich behaviors. With the easy-axis anisotropy, it is shown that, in the ground state manifold of the intradimer Ising interaction, the system realizes an effective quantum Ising model, where the ground state is either a three-sublattice order with a mixture of antiferromagnetic Ising order and a valence-bond spin singlet or Ising disordered. The finite temperature regime realizes the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless physics. To explore the full excitations, we incorporate the excited state manifold of the intradimer Ising interaction and establish the emergent Kugel-Khomskii physics. Thus, the triangular lattice bilayer colbaltate is an excellent platform to explore the interplay between geometrical frustration and anisotropic interactions as well as the emergent effective models and the resulting physics.

A tensor renormalization group analysis of an evolutionary game of competing Ising and Potts subgames

The temperature-induced phase transitions of an evolutionary game of competing Ising- and Potts-type coordination subgames are studied using the tensor renormalization group method proposed by Michael Levin and Cody P. Nave. Depending on the relative strength of the subgames, a continuous Ising order to disorder or a continuous Potts order to disorder or consecutive first-order Potts order to Ising order and continuous Ising order to disorder phase transitions are observed. In the game-theoretic interpretation of the model, these results imply that while both types of coordination can spread in the population at low noise levels, one of them will always be dominant in equilibrium. Under a relatively narrow set of circumstances, a small increase in noise can cause the population to suddenly switch from Ising-type coordination to Potts-type coordination. The results are in general qualitative and quantitative agreement with previous Monte Carlo simulation findings.

Quantum correlations in the frustrated XY model on the honeycomb lattice

We have investigated the spin-1/2 XY frustrated antiferromagnetic Heisenberg honeycomb model, which features an intermediate region in its ground state phase diagram that is not well understood. The two dominant phases in the diagram are the quantum spin-liquid (QSL) and the antiferromagnetic Ising order. Quantum correlations suggest that the QSL phase is likely to exhibit entanglement. To explore this possibility, we utilized numerical Lanczos and density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) methods to calculate concurrence, quantum discord (QD), and entanglement entropy. The results of our study indicate the existence of quantum entanglement within the intermediate region, implying a greater probability for the dominance of the quantum spin-liquid (QSL) phase over the antiferromagnetic Ising order. This discovery underscores the importance of considering quantum correlations in comprehending the model’s behavior and provides insight into the complex nature of quantum systems.

2-D Quantum Ising Model Fidelity and Order Parameter

This paper explores an interesting relationship between the ground-state fidelity quantum phase transitions and bifurcations per lattice site, and proposes a universal order parameter for the quantum Ising model for a square lattice of infinite-size in two spatial dimensions as a prototype model with symmetry breaking order. The approach is based on computing ground-state wave functions using a tensor network algorithm utilizing a representation with infinite projected entangled-pair states. The results can be applied to any systems with symmetry breaking order, because in the conventional Landau-Ginzburg-Wilson paradigm a quantum system subjected to a phase transition exhibits spontaneous symmetry breaking quantified by a local order parameter. A reduced fidelity bifurcation between two different reduced density matrices is also explored.

Nematic-Fluctuation-Mediated Superconductivity Revealed by Anisotropic Strain in Ba(Fe_{1-x}Co_{x})_{2}As_{2}.

Anisotropic strain is an external field capable of selectively addressing the role of nematic fluctuations in promoting superconductivity. We demonstrate this using polarization-resolved elasto-Raman scattering by probing the evolution of nematic fluctuations under strain in the normal and superconducting state of the paradigmatic iron-based superconductor Ba(Fe_{1-x}Co_{x})_{2}As_{2}. In the parent compound BaFe_{2}As_{2} we observe a strain-induced suppression of the nematic susceptibility which follows the expected behavior of an Ising order parameter under a symmetry breaking field. For the superconducting compound, the suppression of the nematic susceptibility correlates with the decrease of the critical temperature T_{c}, indicating a significant contribution of nematic fluctuations to electron pairing. Our results validate theoretical scenarios of enhanced T_{c} near a nematic quantum critical point.

Layer pseudospin magnetism in a transition metal dichalcogenide double-moiré system

Spontaneous order of layer pseudospins in two-dimensional bilayers is common in quantum Hall systems, where it is responsible for hysteretic responses to gate fields in states with Ising order, and giant drag voltages in states with XY (spontaneous inter-layer phase coherence) order. In this article we predict that layer pseudospin order will also occur in double-moir\'e strongly correlated two-dimensional electron systems. We comment on similarities and differences in the competition between the two types of order in quantum Hall and double-moir\'e systems, and relate our findings to previous work on Falicov-Kimball models of electronic ferroelectrics.

Interplay of interactions and disorder at the charge density wave transition of two-dimensional Dirac semimetals

We consider the effects of weak quenched fermionic disorder on the quantum-phase transition between the Dirac semimetal and charge density wave (CDW) insulator in two spatial dimensions. The symmetry breaking transition is described by the Gross-Neveu-Yukawa (GNY) theory of Dirac fermions coupled to an Ising order parameter field. Treating the disorder using the replica method, we consider chemical potential, vector potential (gauge), and random mass disorders, which all arise from nonmagnetic charged impurities. We self-consistently account for the Landau damping of long-wavelength order-parameter fluctuations by using the nonperturbative RPA resummation of fermion loops and compute the renormalization-group (RG) flow to leading order in the disorder strength and $1/N$ ($N$ the number of Dirac fermion flavors). We find two fixed points, the clean GNY critical point, which is stable against weak disorder, and a dirty GNY multicritical point, at which the chemical potential disorder is finite and the other forms of disorder are irrelevant. We investigate the scaling of physical observables at this finite-disorder multicritical point which breaks Lorentz invariance and gives rise to distinct non-Fermi liquid behavior.

Elasto-Raman scattering: Arsenic optical phonon as a probe of nematicity in BaFe2As2

We report a Raman scattering study of nematic degrees of freedom in the iron-based superconductor parent compound BaFe$_2$As$_2$ under tunable uniaxial strain. We demonstrate that the polarization resolved arsenic (As) phonon intensity can be used to monitor the nematic order parameter as a function of both temperature and strain. At low temperature in the nematic ordered phase we use it to track the continuous and reversible orientation of nematic domains under variable strain. At higher temperature, the evolution of the As phonon intensity under strain reflects an enhanced nematic susceptibility close to the nematic transition $T_S$. Its temperature dependence under strong strain follows qualitatively the expected behavior of an Ising order parameter under a symmetry breaking field. Our elasto-Raman study illustrates the interest of combining selective anisotropic strain with a symmetry resolved probe like Raman scattering. Elasto-Raman scattering can be applied to a wide variety of quantum materials where uniaxial strain tunes electronic orders.

Large- N theory of critical Fermi surfaces

We describe the large $N$ saddle point, and the structure of fluctuations about the saddle point, of a theory containing a sharp, critical Fermi surface in two spatial dimensions. The theory describes the onset of Ising order in a Fermi liquid, and closely related theories apply to other cases with critical Fermi surfaces. We employ random couplings in flavor space between the fermions and the bosonic order parameter, but there is no spatial randomness: consequently, the $G$-$\Sigma$ path integral of the theory is expressed in terms of fields bilocal in spacetime. The critical exponents of the large $N$ saddle-point are the same as in the well-studied non-random RPA theory; in particular, the entropy density vanishes in the limit of zero temperature. We present a full numerical solution of the large $N$ saddle-point equations, and the results agree with the critical behavior obtained analytically. Following analyses of Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev models, we describe scaling operators which descend from fermion bilinears around the Fermi surface. This leads to a systematic consideration of the role of time reparameterization symmetry, and the scaling of the Cooper pairing and $2k_F$ operators which can determine associated instabilities of the critical Fermi surface. We find no violations of scaling from time reparameterizations. We also consider the same model but with spatially random couplings: this provides a systematic large $N$ theory of a marginal Fermi liquid with Planckian transport.

Imaging the Néel vector switching in the monolayer antiferromagnet MnPSe3 with strain-controlled Ising order.

Antiferromagnets are interesting materials for spintronics because of their faster dynamics and robustness against perturbations from magnetic fields. Control of the antiferromagnetic order constitutes an important step towards applications, but has been limited to bulk materials so far. Here, using spatially resolved second-harmonic generation, we show direct evidence of long-range antiferromagnetic order and Ising-type Néel vector switching in monolayer MnPSe3 with large XY anisotropy. In additional to thermally induced switching, uniaxial strain can rotate the Néel vector, aligning it to a general in-plane direction irrespective of the crystal axes. A change of the universality class of the phase transition in the XY model under uniaxial strain causes this emergence of strain-controlled Ising order in the XY magnet MnPSe3. Our discovery is a further ingredient for compact antiferromagnetic spintronic devices in the two-dimensional limit.

Ice, glass, and solid phases in artificial spin systems with quenched disorder

We present a numerical study on a disordered artificial spin-ice system, which interpolates between the long-range ordered square ice and the fully degenerate shakti ice. Starting from the square-ice geometry, disorder is implemented by adding vertical/horizontal magnetic islands to the center of some randomly chosen square plaquettes of the array at different densities. When no island is added, we have ordered square ice. When all square plaquettes have been modified, we obtain shakti ice, which is disordered yet in a topological phase corresponding to the Rys F-model. In between, geometrical frustration due to these additional center spins disrupts the long-range Ising order of square ice, giving rise to a spin-glass regime at low temperatures. The artificial spin system proposed in our work provides an experimental platform to study the interplay between quenched disorder and geometrical frustration.

Signatures of Ultrafast Reversal of Excitonic Order in Ta_{2}NiSe_{5}.

In the presence of electron-phonon coupling, an excitonic insulator harbors two degenerate ground states described by an Ising-type order parameter. Starting from a microscopic Hamiltonian, we derive the equations of motion for the Ising order parameter in the phonon coupled excitonic insulator Ta_{2}NiSe_{5} and show that it can be controllably reversed on ultrashort timescales using appropriate laser pulse sequences. Using a combination of theory and time-resolved optical reflectivity measurements, we report evidence of such order parameter reversal in Ta_{2}NiSe_{5} based on the anomalous behavior of its coherently excited order-parameter-coupled phonons. Our Letter expands the field of ultrafast order parameter control beyond spin and charge ordered materials.

Confinement, reduced entanglement, and spin-glass order in a random quantum spin-ice model

We study an effective spin model derived perturbatively from random transverse-field Ising model on the pyrochlore lattice. The model consists of spin-configurations on the pyrochlore lattice, restricted to the spin-ice subspace, with spins interacting with random Ising exchange couplings as well as ring exchanges along the hexagons of the lattice. This model is studied by exact diagonalization upto N=64 site systems. We calculate spin-glass correlation functions and local entanglement entropy $S_T$ between spins in a single tetrahedron and the rest of the system. We find that the model undergoes two phase transitions. At weak randomness the model is in a quantum spin-ice phase where $S_T=\ln{6}$. Increasing randomness first leads to a frozen phase, with long-range spin-glass order and $S_T=\ln{2}$ corresponding to the Cat states associated with Ising order. Further increase in randomness leads to a random resonating-hexagon phase with a frozen backbone of spins and a broad distribution of entanglement entropies. The implications of these studies for non-Kramers rare-earth pyrochlores are discussed.

Landau ordering phase transitions beyond the Landau paradigm

Continuous phase transitions associated with the onset of a spontaneously broken symmetry are thought to be successfully described by the Landau-Ginzburg-Wilson-Fisher theory of fluctuating order parameters. In this work we show that such transitions can admit new universality classes which cannot be understood in terms of a theory of order parameter fluctuations. We explicitly demonstrate continuous time reversal symmetry breaking quantum phase transitions of $3+1$-D bosonic systems described by critical theories expressed in terms of a deconfined gauge theory with massless Dirac fermions instead of the fluctuating Ising order parameter. We dub such phase transitions "Landau transitions beyond Landau description" (LBL). A key feature of our examples is that the stability of the LBL fixed points requires a crucial global symmetry, which is non-anomalous, unbroken, and renders no symmetry protected topological phase throughout the phase diagram. Despite this, there are elementary critical fluctuations of the phase transition that transform projectively under this symmetry group. We also construct examples of other novel quantum critical phenomena, notably a continuous Landau-forbidden deconfined critical point between two Landau-allowed phases in $3+1$-D.

Ising order parameter and topological phase transitions: Toric code in a uniform magnetic field

Quantum Ising model in a transverse field is of the simplest quantum many body systems used for studying universal properties of quantum phase transitions. Interestingly, it is well-known that such phase transitions can be mapped to topological phase transitions in Toric code models. Therefore, one can expect that well known properties of the transverse Ising model are used for characterizing topological phase transition in Toric code model. In this paper, we consider the magnetization of Ising model and show while it is a local order parameter, it is mapped to a non local order parameter in the topological side. Consequently, we introduce a string order parameter for topological phase transitions in Toric code models defined on different lattices with different dimensions in presence of a uniform magnetic field. Since such string order parameter is dual of the Ising order parameter with well known properties, it leads to a topological (non local) characterization of phase transition in the Toric code model in the uniform field. Our results show that although topological phase transitions do not follow a symmetry breaking mechanism, it might be still possible to use concepts of symmetry breaking phase transitions for topological ones by finding suitable mappings.

Critical points of coupled vector-Ising systems. Exact results

We show that scale-invariant scattering theory allows to exactly determine the critical points of two-dimensional systems with coupled and Ising order parameters. The results are obtained for N continuous and include criticality of the loop gas type. In particular, for N = 1 we exhibit three critical lines intersecting at the Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless transition point of the Gaussian model and related to the Z4 symmetry of the isotropic Ashkin–Teller model. For N = 2 we classify the critical points that can arise in the XY-Ising model and provide exact answers about the critical exponents of the fully frustrated XY model.

Exchange intervalley scattering and magnetic phase diagram of transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers

We analyze magnetic phases of monolayers of transition metal dichalcogenides that are two-valley materials with electron-electron interactions. The exchange intervalley scattering makes two-valley systems less stable to the spin fluctuations but more stable to the valley fluctuations. We predict a first-order ferromagnetic phase transition governed by the nonanalytic and negative cubic term in the free energy that results in a large spontaneous spin magnetization. Finite spin-orbit interaction leads to the out-of-plane Ising order of the ferromagnetic phase. Our theoretical prediction is consistent with the recent experiment on the electron-doped monolayers of ${\mathrm{MoS}}_{2}$ reported by Roch et al. [Nat. Nanotechnol. 14, 432 (2019)]. The proposed first-order phase transition can also be tested by measuring the linear magnetic field dependence of the spin susceptibility in the paramagnetic phase which is a direct consequence of the nonanalyticity of the free energy.

The Fully Frustrated XY Model Revisited: A New Universality Class

The two-dimensional (2d) fully frustrated Planar Rotator model on a square lattice has been the subject of a long controversy due to the simultaneous $$Z_2$$ and O(2) symmetry existing in the model. The O(2) symmetry being responsible for the Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless transition (BKT) while the $$Z_2$$ drives an Ising-like transition. There are arguments supporting two possible scenarios, one advocating that the loss of Ising and BKT order take place at the same temperature $$T_{t}$$ and the other that the $$Z_2$$ transition occurs at a higher temperature than the BKT one. In the first case an immediate consequence is that this model is in a new universality class. Most of the studies take hand of some order parameter like the stiffness, Binder’s cumulant or magnetization to obtain the transition temperature. Considering that the transition temperatures are obtained, in general, as an average over the estimates taken about several of those quantities, it is difficult to decide if they are describing the same or slightly separate transitions. In this paper we describe an iterative method based on the knowledge of the complex zeros of the energy probability distribution to study the critical behavior of the system. The method is general with advantages over most conventional techniques since it does not need to identify any order parameter a priori. The critical temperature and exponents can be obtained with good precision. We apply the method to study the Fully Frustrated Planar Rotator (FFPR) and the Anisotropic Heisenberg (FFXY) models in two dimensions. We show that both models are in a new universality class with $$T_{PR}=0.45286(32)$$ and $$T_{XY}=0.36916(16)$$ respectively and the transition exponent $$\nu =0.824(30)$$ ( $$\frac{1}{\nu }=1.22(4)$$ ).

From Ising Resonant Fluctuations to Static Uniaxial Order in Antiferromagnetic and Weakly Superconducting CeCo(In_{1-x}Hg_{x})_{5}(x=0.01).

CeCo(In_{0.990}Hg_{0.010})_{5} is a charge doped variant of the d-wave CoCoIn_{5} superconductor with coexistent antiferromagnetic and superconducting transitions occurring at T_{N}=3.4 and T_{c}=1.4 K, respectively. We use neutron diffraction and spectroscopy to show that the magnetic resonant fluctuations present in the parent superconducting phase are replaced by collinear c-axis magnetic order with three-dimensional Ising critical fluctuations. No low-energy transverse spin fluctuations are observable in this doping-induced antiferromagnetic phase and the dynamic resonant spectral weight predominately shifts to the elastic channel. Static (τ>0.2 ns) collinear Ising order is proximate to superconductivity in CeCoIn_{5} and is stabilized through hole doping with Hg.