Monte Carlo Study of the Separation of Energy Scales in Quantum Spin 1/2 Chains with Bond Disorder

One-dimensional Heisenberg spin 1/2 chains with random ferro- and antiferromagnetic bonds are realized in systems such as $Sr_3 CuPt_{1-x} Ir_x O_6$. We have investigated numerically the thermodynamic properties of a generic random bond model and of a realistic model of $Sr_3 CuPt_{1-x} Ir_x O_6$ by the quantum Monte Carlo loop algorithm. For the first time we demonstrate the separation into three different temperature regimes for the original Hamiltonian based on an exact treatment, especially we show that the intermediate temperature regime is well-defined and observable in both the specific heat and the magnetic susceptibility. The crossover between the regimes is indicated by peaks in the specific heat. The uniform magnetic susceptibility shows Curie-like behavior in the high-, intermediate- and low-temperature regime, with different values of the Curie constant in each regime. We show that these regimes are overlapping in the realistic model and give numerical data for the analysis of experimental tests.Comment: 7 pages, 5 eps-figures included, typeset using JPSJ.sty, accepted for publication in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 68, Vol. 3. (1999

Lightly Doped t-J Three-Leg Ladders - an Analog for the Underdoped Cuprates

The three-leg ladder has one odd-parity and two even-parity channels. At low doping these behave quite differently. Numerical calculations for a t-J model show that the initial phase upon hole doping has two components - a conducting Luttinger liquid in the odd-parity channel, coexisting with an insulating (i.e. undoped) spin liquid phase in the even-parity channels. This phase has a partially truncated Fermi surface and violates the Luttinger theorem. This coexistence of conducting fermionic and insulating paired bosonic degrees of freedom is similar to the recent proposal of Geshkenbein, Ioffe, and Larkin for the underdoped spin-gap normal phase of the cuprates. A mean field approximation is derived which has many similarities to the numerical results. One difference however is an induced hole pairing in the odd-parity channel at arbitrary small dopings, similar to that proposed by Geshkenbein, Ioffe, and Larkin for the two-dimensional case. At higher dopings, we propose that a quantum phase transition will occur as holes enter the even-parity channels, resulting in a Luther-Emery liquid with hole pairing with essentially d-wave character. In the mean field approximation a crossover occurs which we interpret as a reflection of this quantum phase transition deduced from the numerical results.Comment: RevTex, 36 pages with 16 figure

Numerical renormalization-group study of spin correlations in one-dimensional random spin chains

We calculate the ground-state two-spin correlation functions of spin-1/2 quantum Heisenberg chains with random exchange couplings using the real-space renormalization group scheme. We extend the conventional scheme to take account of the contribution of local higher multiplet excitations in each decimation step. This extended scheme can provide highly accurate numerical data for large systems. The random average of staggered spin correlations of the chains with random antiferromagnetic (AF) couplings shows algebraic decay like $1/r^2$, which verifies the Fisher's analytic results. For chains with random ferromagnetic (FM) and AF couplings, the random average of generalized staggered correlations is found to decay more slowly than a power-law, in the form close to $1/\ln(r)$. The difference between the distribution functions of the spin correlations of the random AF chains and of the random FM-AF chains is also discussed.Comment: 14 pages including 8 figures, REVTeX, submitted to Physical Review

Thermodynamics of Random Ferromagnetic Antiferromagnetic Spin-1/2 Chains

Using the quantum Monte Carlo Loop algorithm, we calculate the temperature dependence of the uniform susceptibility, the specific heat, the correlation length, the generalized staggered susceptibility and magnetization of a spin-1/2 chain with random antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic couplings, down to very low temperatures. Our data show a consistent scaling behavior in all the quantities and support strongly the conjecture drawn from the approximate real-space renormalization group treatment.A statistical analysis scheme is developed which will be useful for the search of scaling behavior in numerical and experimental data of random spin chains.Comment: 13 pages, 13 figures, RevTe

Quantum magnetism in the stripe phase: bond- versus site order

It is argued that the spin dynamics in the charge-ordered stripe phase might be revealing with regards to the nature of the anomalous spin dynamics in cuprate superconductors. Specifically, if the stripes are bond ordered much of the spin fluctuation will originate in the spin sector itself, while site ordered stripes require the charge sector as the driving force for the strong quantum spin fluctuations.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, LaTe

The Non Linear Sigma Model and Spin Ladders

The well known Haldane map from spin chains into the $O(3)$ non linear sigma model is generalized to the case of spin ladders. This map allows us to explain the different qualitative behaviour between even and odd ladders, exactly in the same way it explains the difference between integer and half-integer spin chains. Namely, for even ladders the topological term in the sigma model action is absent, while for odd ladders the $\theta$ parameter, which multiplies the topological term, is equal to $2 \pi S$, where $S$ is the spin of the ladder. Hence even ladders should have a dynamically generated spin gap, while odd ladders with half-integer spin should stay gapless, and physically equivalent to a perturbed $SU(2)_1$ Wess-Zumino -Witten model in the infrared regime. We also derive some consequences from the dependence of the sigma model coupling constant on the ladder Heisenberg couplings constants.Comment: Latex file, 14 pages, no figure

Magnetic properties of an SU(4) spin-orbital chain

In this paper, we study the magnetic properties of the one-dimensional SU(4) spin-orbital model by solving its Bethe ansatz solution numerically. It is found that the magnetic properties of the system for the case of $g_t=1.0$ differs from that for the case of $g_t=0.0$. The magnetization curve and susceptibility are obtained for a system of 200 sites. For $0<g_t<g_s$, the phase diagram depending on the magnetic field and the ratio of Land\'e factors, $g_t/g_s$, is obtained. Four phases with distinct magnetic properties are found.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Numerical Study of the One-Dimensional Spin-Orbit Coupled System with SU(2)⊗\otimesSU(2) Symmetry

We numerically study the SU(2)$\otimes$SU(2) symmetric spin-orbit coupled model as a lower symmetric generalization of the SU(4) exchange model. On the symmetric line with respect to the spin and orbit, our result shows the essentially singular gap formation in consistent with the analytic approach, which is different from the previous numerical calculation. Furthermore, we find new critical phases around the SU(4) point, surrounding the previously known gapless symmetric line. In these novel phases either spin or orbital excitations around momentum $q=\pi$ form massless continua which split from the excitations belonging to the $[2^2]$ irreducible representation at the SU(4) point. On the critical symmetric line, the additional coupled spin-orbit excitations around $q=\pi/2$ originating from [$2^11^2$] become critical, too.Comment: 6 pages with 5 figures, submitted to J. Phys. Soc. Jp

Single hole dynamics in the t-J model on two- and three-leg ladders

The dynamics of a single hole in the t-J model on two- (2LL) and three- (3LL) leg ladders is studied using a recently developed quantum Monte Carlo algorithm. For the 2LL it is shown that in addition to the most pronounced features of the spectral function, well described by the limit of strong coupling along the rungs, a clear shadow band appears in the antibonding channel. Moreover, both the bonding band and its shadow have a finite quasiparticle (QP) weight in the thermodynamic limit. For strong coupling along the rungs of the 3LL, the low-energy spectrum in the antisymmetric channel is similar to a one-dimensional chain, whereas in the two symmetric channels it resembles the 2LL. The QP weight vanishes in the antisymmetric channel, but is finite in the symmetric one

Low-Temperature Scaling Regime of Random Ferromagnetic-Antiferromagnetic Spin Chains

Using the Continuous Time Quantum Monte Carlo Loop algorithm, we calculate the temperature dependence of the uniform susceptibility, and the specific heat of a spin-1/2 chain with random antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic couplings, down to very low temperatures. Our data show a consistent scaling behavior in both quantities and support strongly the conjecture drawn from the approximative real-space renormalization group treatment. A statistical analysis scheme is developed which will be useful for the search scaling behavior in numerical and experimental data of random spin chains.Comment: 4 pages and 3 figure