Domain Patterns in the Microwave-Induced Zero-Resistance State

It has been proposed that the microwave-induced ``zero-resistance'' phenomenon, observed in a GaAs two-dimensional electron system at low temperatures in moderate magnetic fields, results from a state with multiple domains, in which a large local electric field \bE(\br) is oriented in different directions. We explore here the questions of what may determine the domain arrangement in a given sample, what do the domains look like in representative cases, and what may be the consequences of domain-wall localization on the macroscopic dc conductance. We consider both effects of sample boundaries and effects of disorder, in a simple model, which has a constant Hall conductivity, and is characterized by a Lyapunov functional.Comment: 19 pages, 5 figures; submitted to a special issue of Journal of Statistical Physics, in honor of P. C. Hohenberg and J. S. Lange

Continuous unitary transformations and finite-size scaling exponents in the Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick model

We analyze the finite-size scaling exponents in the Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick model by means of the Holstein-Primakoff representation of the spin operators and the continuous unitary transformations method. This combination allows us to compute analytically leading corrections to the ground state energy, the gap, the magnetization, and the two-spin correlation functions. We also present numerical calculations for large system size which confirm the validity of this approach. Finally, we use these results to discuss the entanglement properties of the ground state focusing on the (rescaled) concurrence that we compute in the thermodynamical limit.Comment: 20 pages, 9 figures, published versio

Schwinger-Boson Mean-Field Theory of Mixed-Spin Antiferromagnet L2BaNiO5L_2BaNiO_5

The Schwinger-boson mean-field theory is used to study the three-dimensional antiferromagnetic ordering and excitations in compounds $L_2BaNiO_5$, a large family of quasi-one-dimensional mixed-spin antiferromagnet. To investigate magnetic properties of these compounds, we introduce a three-dimensional mixed-spin antiferromagnetic Heisenberg model based on experimental results for the crystal structure of $L_2BaNiO_5$. This model can explain the experimental discovery of coexistence of Haldane gap and antiferromagnetic long-range order below N\'{e}el temperature. Properties such as the low-lying excitations, magnetizations of $Ni$ and rare-earth ions, N\'{e}el temperatures of different compounds, and the behavior of Haldane gap below the N\'{e}el temperature are investigated within this model, and the results are in good agreement with neutron scattering experiments.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure

Renormalization algorithm for the calculation of spectra of interacting quantum systems

We present an algorithm for the calculation of eigenstates with definite linear momentum in quantum lattices. Our method is related to the Density Matrix Renormalization Group, and makes use of the distribution of multipartite entanglement to build variational wave--functions with translational symmetry. Its virtues are shown in the study of bilinear--biquadratic S=1 chains.Comment: Corrected version. We have added an appendix with an extended explanation of the implementation of our algorith

Tunneling-driven breakdown of the 331 state and the emergent Pfaffian and composite Fermi liquid phases

We examine the possibility of creating the Moore-Read Pfaffian in the lowest Landau level when the multicomponent Halperin 331 state (believed to describe quantum Hall bilayers and wide quantum wells at the filling factor $\nu=1/2$) is destroyed by the increase of tunneling. Using exact diagonalization of the bilayer Hamiltonian with short-range and long-range (Coulomb) interactions in spherical and periodic rectangular geometries, we establish that tunneling is a perturbation that drives the 331 state into a compressible composite Fermi liquid, with the possibility for an intermediate critical state that possesses some properties of the Moore-Read Pfaffian. These results are interpreted in the two-component BCS model for Cauchy pairing with a tunneling constraint. We comment on the conditions to be imposed on a system with fluctuating density in order to achieve the stable Pfaffian phase.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figure

Exploring Contractor Renormalization: Tests on the 2-D Heisenberg Antiferromagnet and Some New Perspectives

Contractor Renormalization (CORE) is a numerical renormalization method for Hamiltonian systems that has found applications in particle and condensed matter physics. There have been few studies, however, on further understanding of what exactly it does and its convergence properties. The current work has two main objectives. First, we wish to investigate the convergence of the cluster expansion for a two-dimensional Heisenberg Antiferromagnet(HAF). This is important because the linked cluster expansion used to evaluate this formula non-perturbatively is not controlled by a small parameter. Here we present a study of three different blocking schemes which reveals some surprises and in particular, leads us to suggest a scheme for defining successive terms in the cluster expansion. Our second goal is to present some new perspectives on CORE in light of recent developments to make it accessible to more researchers, including those in Quantum Information Science. We make some comparison to entanglement-based approaches and discuss how it may be possible to improve or generalize the method.Comment: Completely revised version accepted by Phy Rev B; 13 pages with added material on entropy in COR

Low-Temperature Properties of Two-Dimensional Ideal Ferromagnets

The manifestation of the spin-wave interaction in the low-temperature series of the partition function has been investigated extensively over more than seven decades in the case of the three-dimensional ferromagnet. Surprisingly, the same problem regarding ferromagnets in two spatial dimensions, to the best of our knowledge, has never been addressed in a systematic way so far. In the present paper the low-temperature properties of two-dimensional ideal ferromagnets are analyzed within the model-independent method of effective Lagrangians. The low-temperature expansion of the partition function is evaluated up to two-loop order and the general structure of this series is discussed, including the effect of a weak external magnetic field. Our results apply to two-dimensional ideal ferromagnets which exhibit a spontaneously broken spin rotation symmetry O(3) $\to$ O(2) and are defined on a square, honeycomb, triangular or Kagom\'e lattice. Remarkably, the spin-wave interaction only sets in at three-loop order. In particular, there is no interaction term of order $T^3$ in the low-temperature series for the free energy density. This is the analog of the statement that, in the case of three-dimensional ferromagnets, there is no interaction term of order $T^4$ in the free energy density. We also provide a careful discussion of the implications of the Mermin-Wagner theorem in the present context and thereby put our low-temperature expansions on safe grounds.Comment: 24 pages, 3 figure

Dimerization versus Orbital Moment Ordering in the Mott insulator YVO3_3

We use exact diagonalization combined with mean-field theory to investigate the phase diagram of the spin-orbital model for cubic vanadates. The spin-orbit coupling competes with Hund's exchange and triggers a novel phase, with the ordering of $t_{2g}$ orbital magnetic moments stabilized by the tilting of VO$_6$ octahedra. It explains qualitatively spin canting and reduction of magnetization observed in YVO$_3$. At finite temperature an orbital Peierls instability in the $C$-type antiferromagnetic phase induces modulation of magnetic exchange constants even in absence of lattice distortions. The calculated spin structure factor shows a magnon splitting due to the orbital Peierls dimerization.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, Revte

Influence of lattice distortions in classical spin systems

We investigate a simple model of a frustrated classical spin chain coupled to adiabatic phonons under an external magnetic field. A thorough study of the magnetization properties is carried out both numerically and analytically. We show that already a moderate coupling with the lattice can stabilize a plateau at 1/3 of the saturation and discuss the deformation of the underlying lattice in this phase. We also study the transition to saturation where either a first or second order transition can occur, depending on the couplings strength.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev.

Elucidating the structural composition of a Fe-N-C catalyst by nuclear and electron resonance techniques

Fe–N–C catalysts are very promising materials for fuel cells and metal–air batteries. This work gives fundamental insights into the structural composition of an Fe–N–C catalyst and highlights the importance of an in‐depth characterization. By nuclear‐ and electron‐resonance techniques, we are able to show that even after mild pyrolysis and acid leaching, the catalyst contains considerable fractions of α‐iron and, surprisingly, iron oxide. Our work makes it questionable to what extent FeN4 sites can be present in Fe–N–C catalysts prepared by pyrolysis at 900 °C and above. The simulation of the iron partial density of phonon states enables the identification of three FeN4 species in our catalyst, one of them comprising a sixfold coordination with end‐on bonded oxygen as one of the axial ligands