Ring-exchange Interactions Research Articles

Disordered phase in three-dimensional antiferromagnetic frustrated spin-1 xy model with ring exchange interaction and single-ion anisotropy

In this paper we study the quantum phase transitions in a three-dimensional antiferromagnetic J1−J2 xy model for spin 1 with coupling between planes α=J′J1, single ion anisotropy D and ring exchange interactions K>0. We investigate the zero temperature phase diagram of the model using Schwinger's boson SU(3) method. We find an intermediate disordered magnetic phase, which separates the ordered phase at wave vector k=(π,π,π) (J1>>J2) and the stripe antiferromagnetic phase (J1<<J2) at wave vector k=(0,π,π). The ring exchange interaction K widens the disordered region in the phase diagram.

Vector-spin-chirality order in a dimerized frustrated spin-12chain

A frustrated spin-$1/2$ XXZ chain model comprising a ferromagnetic nearest-neighbor coupling with the bond alternation, ${J}_{1}(1\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}\ensuremath{\delta})&lt;0$, and an antiferromagnetic second-neighbor exchange coupling ${J}_{2}&gt;0$ is studied at zero and weak magnetic fields by means of density-matrix renormalization-group calculations of order parameters, correlation functions, and the entanglement entropy, as well as an Abelian bosonization analysis. At zero magnetic field, the bond alternation $\ensuremath{\delta}&gt;0$ suppresses the gapless phase characterized by a vector-chiral (VC) long-range order (LRO) and a quasi-LRO of an incommensurate spin spiral, whereas this phase occupies a large region in the space of ${J}_{1}/{J}_{2}$ and the easy-plane exchange anisotropy for $\ensuremath{\delta}=0$ [S. Furukawa et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 257205 (2010)]. Then, four gapped phases are found to appear as the exchange anisotropy varies from the SU(2)-symmetric case to the U(1)-symmetric case: the Haldane dimer (D${}_{+}$) phase with the same sign of the $x,y$- and $z$-component dimer order parameters, two VC dimer (VCD${}_{+}$/VCD${}_{\ensuremath{-}}$) phases with the sign of the $z$-component dimer order parameter being unaltered/reversed, and the even-parity dimer (D${}_{\ensuremath{-}}$) phase. At small magnetic fields, a field-induced ring-exchange interaction, which is proportional to a staggered scalar chirality and a magnetic flux penetrating the associated triangle, drives a transition from the D${}_{\ensuremath{-}}$ phase into a VC-Neel-dimer (VCND) phase, but not from the D${}_{+}$ phase. This VCND phase is stable up to the large magnetic field at which the Zeeman term closes the spin gap. A possible relevance to Rb${}_{2}$Cu${}_{2}$Mo${}_{3}$O${}_{12}$ is discussed.

Two-qubit gates for decoherence-free qubits using a ring exchange interaction

It is known that it is possible to encode a logical qubit over many physical qubits such that it is immune to the effects of collective decoherence, and it is possible to perform universal quantum computation using these `decoherence-free' qubits. However, current proposed methods of performing gates on these encoded qubits could be difficult to implement, or could take too much time to perform. Here we investigate whether exploiting ring-exchange interactions, which may be naturally present, can simplify the implementation of these gates in any way. Using a ring exchange interaction, we have found a way to create a controlled-Z gate on the 4-qubit decoherence-free subspace and the 3-qubit decoherence-free subsystem using a sequence with 5 pulses. This could be useful in situations where simplicity is important or where ring exchange interactions are prominent. We also investigate how timing errors and magnetic field fluctuations affect the fidelity of this gate.

Quantum phase transitions in multileg spin ladders with ring exchange

Four-spin exchange interaction has been raising intriguing questions regarding the exotic phase transitions it induces in two-dimensional quantum spin systems. In this context, we investigate the effects of a cyclic four-spin exchange in the quasi-1D limit by considering a general N-leg spin ladder. We show by means of a low-energy approach that, depending on its sign, this ring exchange interaction can engender either a staggered or a uniform dimerization from the conventional phases of spin ladders. The resulting quantum phase transition is found to be described by the SU(2)_N conformal field theory. This result, as well as the fractional value of the central charge at the transition, is further confirmed by a large-scale numerical study performed by means of Exact Diagonalization and Density Matrix Renormalization Group approaches for N \le 4.

Spin wave theory of spin-1/2 XY model with ring exchange on a triangular lattice

We present the linear spin wave theory calculation of the superfluid phase of a hard-core boson J-K model with nearest neighbour exchange J and four-particle ring-exchange K at half filling on the triangular lattice, as well as the phase diagrams of the system at zero and finite temperatures. A similar analysis has been done on a square lattice (Schaffer et al. Phys. Rev. B, 80, 014503 (2009)). We find similar behaviour to that of a square lattice but with different spin wave values of the thermodynamic quantities. We also find that the pure J model (XY model), which has a well-known uniform superfluid phase with an ordered parameter [Formula: see text] at zero temperature is quickly destroyed by the inclusion of negative-K ring-exchange interactions, favouring a state with a (4π/3, 0) ordering wavevector. We further study the behaviour of the finite-temperature Kosterlitz–Thouless phase transition (TKT) in the uniform superfluid phase, by forcing the universal quantum jump condition on the finite-temperature spin wave superfluid density. We find that for K &lt; 0, the phase boundary monotonically decreases to T = 0 at K/J = −4/3, where a phase transition is expected and TKT decreases rapidly, while for positive K, TKT reaches a maximum at some K ≠ 0. It has been shown on a square lattice using quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) simulations that for small K &gt; 0 away from the XY point, the zero-temperature spin stiffness value of the XY model is decreased (Melko and Sandvik. Ann. Phys. 321, 1651 (2006)). Our result seems to agree with this trend found in QMC simulations for two-dimensional systems.

Deconfined Criticality Flow in the Heisenberg Model with Ring-Exchange Interactions

Quantum transition points in the J-Q model--the test bed of the deconfined critical point theory--and the SU(2)-symmetric discrete noncompact CP(1) representation of the deconfined critical action are directly compared by the flowgram method. We find that the flows of two systems coincide in a broad region of linear system sizes (10 < L < 50 for the J-Q model), implying that the deconfined critical point theory correctly captures the mesoscopic physics of competition between the antiferromagnetic and valence-bond orders in quantum spin systems. At larger sizes, however, we observe significant deviations between the two flows which both demonstrate strong violations of scale invariance. This reliably rules out the second-order transition scenario in at least one of the two models and suggests the most likely explanation for the nature of the transition in the J-Q model.

Bose-Hubbard model on a kagome lattice with sextic ring-exchange terms

High-order ring-exchange interactions are crucial for the study of quantum fluctuations on many highly frustrated systems. A versatile and efficient quantum Monte Carlo method, which can handle finite and essentially zero temperature and canonical and grand-canonical ensembles, has long been sought. In this paper, we present an exact quantum Monte Carlo study of a model of hard-core bosons with sixth-order ring-exchange interactions on a two-dimensional kagome lattice. By using the stochastic Green function algorithm with global space-time update, we show that the system becomes unstable in the limit of large ring-exchange interactions. It undergoes a phase separation at all fillings, except at $\frac{1}{3}$ and $\frac{2}{3}$ fillings for which the superfluid density vanishes and an unusual mixed valence bond and charge density ordered solid is formed. This explains the universal features seen in previous studies on various different models, such as the transverse-field Ising models, on a kagome lattice near the classical limit.

Semiclassical approach to competing orders in a two-leg spin ladder with ring exchange

We investigate the competition between different orders in the two-leg spin ladder with a ring-exchange interaction by means of a bosonic approach. The latter is defined in terms of spin-1 hardcore bosons which treat the N\'eel and vector chirality order parameters on an equal footing. A semiclassical approach of the resulting model describes the phases of the two-leg spin ladder with a ring-exchange. In particular, we derive the low-energy effective actions which govern the physical properties of the rung-singlet and dominant vector chirality phases. As a by-product of our approach, we reveal the mutual induction phenomenon between spin and chirality with, for instance, the emergence of a vector-chirality phase from the application of a magnetic field in bilayer systems coupled by four-spin exchange interactions.

Effects of ring exchange interaction on the Néel phase of two-dimensional, spatially anisotropic, frustrated Heisenberg quantum antiferromagnet

Higher order quantum effects on the magnetic phase diagram induced by four-spin ring exchange on plaquettes are investigated for a two-dimensional quantum antiferromagnet with S=1/2. Spatial anisotropy and frustration are allowed for. Using a perturbative spin-wave expansion up to second order in 1/S we obtain the spin-wave energy dispersion, sublattice magnetization, and the magnetic phase diagram. We find that for substantial four-spin ring exchange the quantum fluctuations are stronger than in the standard Heisenberg model. A moderate amount of four-spin ring exchange couplings stabilizes the ordered antiferromagnetic Neel state while a large amount renders it unstable. Comparison with inelastic neutron scattering data points toward a moderate ring exchange coupling of 27% to 29% of the nearest-neighbor exchange coupling.

Exact Ground States with Deconfined Gapless Excitations for the Three-Leg Spin-1/2Tube

We consider a spin-1/2 tube (a three-leg ladder with periodic boundary conditions) with a Hamiltonian given by two projection operators-one on the triangles and the other on the square plaquettes on the side of the tube-that can be written in terms of Heisenberg and four-spin ring exchange interactions. We identify 3 phases: (i)for strongly antiferromagnetic exchange on the triangles, an exact ground state with a gapped spectrum can be given as an alternation of spin and chirality singlet bonds between nearest triangles; (ii)for ferromagnetic exchange on the triangles, we recover the phase of the spin-3/2 Heisenberg chain; (iii)between these two phases, a gapless incommensurate phase exists. We construct an exact ground state with two deconfined domain walls and a gapless excitation spectrum at the quantum phase transition point between the incommensurate and dimerized phases.

Quantum spin liquid in a spin-12XYmodel with four-site exchange on the kagome lattice

We study the ground state phase diagram of a two-dimensional kagome lattice spin-1/2 XY model (J) with a four-site ring exchange interaction (K) using quantum Monte Carlo simulations. We find that the superfluid phase, existing in the regime of small ring exchange, undergoes a direct transition to a Z_2 quantum spin liquid phase at (K/J)_c ~ 22, which is related to the phase proposed by Balents, Girvin and Fisher [Phys. Rev. B, 65 224412 (2002)]. The quantum phase transition between the superfluid and the spin liquid phase has exponents z and \nu falling in the 3D XY universality class, making it a candidate for an exotic XY* quantum critical point, mediated by the condensation of bosonic spinons.

Magnetic Phase Transitions in bcc 3He

We study magnetic phase transitions in the bcc solid 3He by means of Monte Carlo simulations. We employ a classical spin model on the bcc lattice with multiple ring-exchange interactions. In the present study, we take into account up to 4-spin ring exchanges. In order to clarify the character of phase transitions we examine energy histograms generated by Monte Carlo simulations. It is shown that the phase transition between the cnaf and the paramagnetic phases is discontinuous at low magnetic fields while it is continuous at high magnetic fields. This result agrees qualitatively with experimental observations.

Ring-Exchange Interaction in Doubly Degenerate Orbital System

Ring-exchange (RE) interaction in Mott insulator with doubly degenerate $e_g$ orbitals is studied. Hamiltonian for the RE interaction is derived by the perturbational calculation. A remarkably weak RE interaction destroys the orbital order caused by the order-by-fluctuation mechanism in the nearest-neighbor exchange-interaction model. A long range order of magnetic octupole moment, i.e. complex orbital wave functions, appears. Competition between octupole and quadrupole interactions strongly suppresses ordered moments.

Exotic paired phases in ladders with spin-dependent hopping

Fermions in two-dimensions (2D) when subject to anisotropic spin-dependent hopping can potentially give rise to unusual paired states in {\it unpolarized} mixtures that can behave as non-Fermi liquids. One possibility is a fully paired state with a gap for fermion excitations in which the Cooper pairs remain uncondensed. Such a "Cooper-pair Bose-metal" phase would be expected to have a singular Bose-surface in momentum space. As demonstrated in the context of 2D bosons hopping with a frustrating ring-exchange interaction, an analogous Bose-metal phase has a set of quasi-1D descendent states when put on a ladder geometry. Here we present a density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) study of the attractive Hubbard model with spin-dependent hopping on a two-leg ladder geometry. In our setup, one spin species moves preferentially along the leg direction, while the other does so along the rung direction. We find compelling evidence for the existence of a novel Cooper-pair Bose-metal phase in a region of the phase diagram at intermediate coupling. We further explore the phase diagram of this model as a function of hopping anisotropy, density, and interaction strength, finding a conventional superfluid phase, as well as a phase of paired Cooper pairs with d-wave symmetry, similar to the one found in models of hard-core bosons with ring-exchange. We argue that simulating this model with cold Fermi gases on spin dependent optical lattices is a promising direction for realizing exotic quantum states.

The phase diagram of the Heisenberg antiferromagnet with four-spin interactions

We study the quantum phase diagram of the Heisenberg planar antiferromagnet with asubset of four-spin ring exchange interactions, using the recently proposed hierarchicalmean-field approach. By identifying relevant degrees of freedom, we are able to usea single variational ansatz to map the entire phase diagram of the model anduncover the nature of its various phases. It is shown that there exists a transitionbetween a Néel state and a quantum paramagnetic phase, characterized by brokentranslational invariance. The non-magnetic phase preserves the lattice rotationalsymmetry, and has a correlated plaquette nature. Our results also suggest thatthis phase transition can be properly described within the Landau paradigm.

Superfluid phases of lattice bosons with ring-exchange interaction

We examine the superfluid phase of a hard-core boson model with nearest-neighbor exchange J and four-particle ring-exchange K at half-filling on the square lattice. At zero temperature we find that the superfluid in the pure-J model is quickly destroyed by the inclusion of negative-K ring-exchange interactions, favoring a state with a (pi,pi) ordering wavevector. Minimization of the mean-field energy suggests that a supersolid state with coexisting superfluidity, charge-density wave, and valence-bond-like order is formed. We also study the behavior of the finite-T Kosterlitz-Thouless phase transition in the superfluid phase, by forcing the Nelson-Kosterlitz universal jump condition on the finite-T spin wave superfluid density. Away from the pure J point, T_{KT} decreases rapidly for negative K, while for positive K, T_{KT} reaches a maximum at some K \neq 0 in agreement with recent quantum Monte Carlo simulations.

Strong-coupling phases of frustrated bosons on a two-leg ladder with ring exchange

Developing a theoretical framework to access the quantum phases of itinerant bosons or fermions in two dimensions that exhibit singular structure along surfaces in momentum space but have no quasiparticle description remains a central challenge in the field of strongly correlated physics. In this paper we propose that distinctive signatures of such two-dimensional (2D) strongly correlated phases will be manifest in quasi-one-dimensional ``$N$-leg ladder'' systems. Characteristic of each parent 2D quantum liquid would be a precise pattern of one-dimensional (1D) gapless modes on the $N$-leg ladder. These signatures could be potentially exploited to approach the 2D phases from controlled numerical and analytical studies in quasi-one-dimension. As a first step we explore itinerant-boson models with a frustrating ring-exchange interaction on the two-leg ladder, searching for signatures of the recently proposed two-dimensional $d$-wave-correlated Bose liquid (DBL) phase. A combination of exact diagonalization, density-matrix renormalization-group, variational Monte Carlo, and bosonization analysis of a quasi-1D gauge theory provide compelling evidence for the existence of an unusual strong-coupling phase of bosons on the two-leg ladder, which can be understood as a descendant of the two-dimensional DBL. We suggest several generalizations to quantum spin and electron Hamiltonians on ladders, which could likewise reveal fingerprints of such 2D non-Fermi-liquid phases.

Possible mechanism of charge stripe formation based on the ring exchange interaction

Using the numerical diagonalization of the finite-cluster t– J model, we investigate the mechanism of the charge stripes based on the ring exchange interaction. We calculate the many-hole correlation functions related with the two-types of charge stripes; the vertical and diagonal types of the charge stripe. As a result, we present a phase diagram including the two stripe phases and a phase separation phase.

Minimum instances of topological matter in an optical plaquette

We propose experimental schemes to create and probe minimum forms of different topologically ordered states in a plaquette of an optical lattice: resonating valence bond, and Laughlin and string-net-condensed states. We show how to create anyonic excitations on top of these liquids and detect their fractional statistics. In addition, we propose a way to design a plaquette ring-exchange interaction, the building block Hamiltonian of a lattice topological theory. Our preparation and detection schemes combine different techniques already demonstrated in experiments with atoms in optical superlattices.

Spin-liquid states on the triangular and Kagomé lattices: A projective-symmetry-group analysis of Schwinger boson states

A symmetry based analysis (Projective Symmetry Group) is used to study spin liquid phases on the triangular and Kagom\'e lattices in the Schwinger boson framework. A maximum of eight distinct $Z_2$ spin liquid states are found for each lattice, which preserve all symmetries. Out of these only a few have nonvanishing nearest neighbor amplitudes which are studied in greater detail. On the triangular lattice, only two such states are present - the first (zero-flux state) is the well known state introduced by Sachdev, which on condensation of spinons leads to the 120 degree ordered state. The other solution which we call the $\pi$-flux state has not previously been discussed. Spinon condensation leads to an ordering wavevector at the Brillouin zone edge centers, in contrast to the 120 degree state. While the zero-flux state is more stable with just nearest-neighbor exchange, we find that the introduction of either next-neighbor antiferromagnetic exchange or four spin ring-exchange (of the sign obtained from a Hubbard model) tends to favor the $\pi$-flux state. On the Kagom\'e lattice four solutions are obtained - two have been previously discussed by Sachdev, which on spinon condensation give rise to the $q=0$ and $\sqrt{3}\times\sqrt{3}$ spin ordered states. In addition we find two new states with significantly larger values of the quantum parameter at which magnetic ordering occurs. For one of them this even exceeds unity, $\kappa_c\approx 2.0$ in a nearest neighbor model, indicating that if stabilized, could remain spin disordered for physical values of the spin. This state is also stabilized by ring exchange interactions with signs as derived from the Hubbard model.