Nature Of Quantum Spin Liquids Research Articles

Quantum Spin Liquid in Spin 1/2J1–J2Heisenberg Model on Square Lattice: Many-Variable Variational Monte Carlo Study Combined with Quantum-Number Projections

The nature of quantum spin liquids is studied for the spin-$1/2$ antiferromagnetic Heisenberg model on a square lattice containing exchange interactions between nearest-neighbor sites, $J_1$, and those between next-nearest-neighbor sites, $J_2$. We perform variational Monte Carlo simulations together with the quantum-number-projection technique and clarify the phase diagram in the ground state together with its excitation spectra. We obtain the nonmagnetic phase in the region $0.4< J_2/J_1\le 0.6$ sandwiched by the staggered and stripe antiferromagnetic (AF) phases. Our direct calculations of the spin gap support the notion that the triplet excitation from the singlet ground state is gapless in the range of $0.4 < J_2/J_1 \le 0.5$, while the gapped valence-bond-crystal (VBC) phase is stabilized for $0.5 < J_2/J_1 \le 0.6$. The VBC order is likely to have the columnar symmetry with a spontaneous symmetry breaking of the $C_{4v}$ symmetry. The power-law behaviors of the spin-spin and dimer-dimer correlation functions in the gapless region are consistent with the emergence of the algebraic quantum-spin-liquid phase (critical phase). The exponent of the spin correlation $\langle S(0)S(r)\rangle \propto 1/r^{z+\eta}$ at a long distance $r$ appears to increase from $z+\eta\sim 1$ at $J_2/J_1\sim0.4$ toward the continuous transition to the VBC phase at $J_1/J_1\sim0.5$. Our results, however, do not fully exclude the possibility of a direct quantum transition between the staggered AF and VBC phases with a wide critical region and deconfined criticality.

Heat transport in magnetic fields by quantum spin liquid in the organic insulators EtMe3Sb[Pd(dmit)2]2 and κ-(BEDT - TTF)2Cu2(CN)3

Measurements of the low-temperature thermal conductivity collected on insulators with geometrical frustration produce important experimental facts shedding light on the nature of quantum spin liquid composed of spinons. We employ a model of strongly correlated quantum spin liquid located near the fermion condensation phase transition to analyze the exciting measurements of the low-temperature thermal conductivity in magnetic fields collected on the organic insulators and . Our analysis of the conductivity allows us to reveal a strong dependence of the effective mass of spinons on magnetic fields, to detect a scaling behavior of the conductivity, and to relate it to both the spin-lattice relaxation rate and the magnetoresistivity. Our calculations and observations are in a good agreement with experimental data.