Quantum phase transitions in the exactly solved spin-1/2 Heisenberg-Ising ladder

Ground-state behaviour of the frustrated quantum spin-1/2 two-leg ladder with the Heisenberg intra-rung and Ising inter-rung interactions is examined in detail. The investigated model is transformed to the quantum Ising chain with composite spins in an effective transverse and longitudinal field by employing either the bond-state representation or the unitary transformation. It is shown that the ground state of the Heisenberg-Ising ladder can be descended from three exactly solvable models: the quantum Ising chain in a transverse field, the 'classical' Ising chain in a longitudinal field or the spin-chain model in a staggered longitudinal-transverse field. The last model serves in evidence of the staggered bond phase with alternating singlet and triplet bonds on the rungs of two-leg ladder, which appears at moderate values of the external magnetic field and consequently leads to a fractional plateau at a half of the saturation magnetization. The ground-state phase diagram totally consists of five ordered and one quantum disordered phase, which are separated from each other either by the lines of discontinuous or continuous quantum phase transitions. The order parameters are exactly calculated for all five ordered phases and the quantum disordered phase is characterized through different short-range spin-spin correlations.Comment: corrected version, figure A1 has been changed, accepted in J. Phys. A, 19 pages, 7 figure

Numerical study of the one-dimensional quantum compass model

The ground state magnetic phase diagram of the one-dimensional quantum compass model (QCM) is studied using the numerical Lanczos method. A detailed numerical analysis of the low energy excitation spectrum is presented. The energy gap and the spin-spin correlation functions are calculated for finite chains. Two kind of the magnetic long-range orders, the Neel and a type of the stripe-antiferromagnet, in the ground state phase diagram are identified. Based on the numerical analysis, the first and second order quantum phase transitions in the ground state phase diagram are identified.Comment: 6 pages, 8 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1105.211

Quantum Correlation in One-dimensional Extend Quantum Compass Model

We study the correlations in the one-dimensional extended quantum compass model in a transverse magnetic field. By exactly solving the Hamiltonian, we find that the quantum correlation of the ground state of one-dimensional quantum compass model is vanishing. We show that quantum discord can not only locate the quantum critical points, but also discern the orders of phase transitions. Furthermore, entanglement quantified by concurrence is also compared.Comment: 8 pages, 14 figures, to appear in Eur. Phys. J.

Thermodynamic Properties of the One-Dimensional Extended Quantum Compass Model in the Presence of a Transverse Field

The presence of a quantum critical point can significantly affect the thermodynamic properties of a material at finite temperatures. This is reflected, e.g., in the entropy landscape S(T; c) in the vicinity of a quantum critical point, yielding particularly strong variations for varying the tuning parameter c such as magnetic field. In this work we have studied the thermodynamic properties of the quantum compass model in the presence of a transverse field. The specific heat, entropy and cooling rate under an adiabatic demagnetization process have been calculated. During an adiabatic (de)magnetization process temperature drops in the vicinity of a field-induced zero-temperature quantum phase transitions. However close to field-induced quantum phase transitions we observe a large magnetocaloric effect

Coupling charge and topological reconstructions at polar oxide interfaces

In oxide heterostructures, different materials are integrated into a single artificial crystal, resulting in a breaking of inversion-symmetry across the heterointerfaces. A notable example is the interface between polar and non-polar materials, where valence discontinuities lead to otherwise inaccessible charge and spin states. This approach paved the way to the discovery of numerous unconventional properties absent in the bulk constituents. However, control of the geometric structure of the electronic wavefunctions in correlated oxides remains an open challenge. Here, we create heterostructures consisting of ultrathin SrRuO$_3$, an itinerant ferromagnet hosting momentum-space sources of Berry curvature, and LaAlO$_3$, a polar wide-bandgap insulator. Transmission electron microscopy reveals an atomically sharp LaO/RuO$_2$/SrO interface configuration, leading to excess charge being pinned near the LaAlO$_3$/SrRuO$_3$ interface. We demonstrate through magneto-optical characterization, theoretical calculations and transport measurements that the real-space charge reconstruction modifies the momentum-space Berry curvature in SrRuO$_3$, driving a reorganization of the topological charges in the band structure. Our results illustrate how the topological and magnetic features of oxides can be manipulated by engineering charge discontinuities at oxide interfaces.Comment: 5 pages main text (4 figures), 29 pages of supplementary informatio

From fidelity to entanglement of entropy of the one-dimensional transverse-field quantum compass model

We study fidelity and fidelity susceptibility by addition of entanglement of entropy in the one-dimensional quantum compass model in a transverse magnetic field numerically. The whole four recognized gapped regions in the ground state phase diagram are in the range of our investigation. Power-law divergence at criticality accompanied by finite size scaling indicates the field induced quantum phase transitions are of second order as well as from the scaling behavior of the extremum of fidelity susceptibility is shown the quantum critical exponents are different in the various regions of phase diagram. We further calculate a recently proposed quantum information theoretic measure, von-Neumann entropy, and show that this measure provide appropriate signatures of the quantum phase transitions (QPT)s occurring at the critical fields. Von-Neumann entropy indicates a measure of entanglement between some-particle block and the rest of the system. We show the value of entanglement between a two-particle block with the rest of the system is more dependent on the power of exchange couplings connecting the block with the rest of the system than the power of exchange coupling between two particles in the block

State of the Art in Building Façades

This chapter presents a portfolio of building materials suitable for facades. It describes the relationship between material type, building element, facade, and the entire building structure. Traditional facades based on static components, as well as adaptive concepts able to interact with changing environmental conditions, are briefly described and illustrated with pictures. Climatic design principles, biomimicry, and bioinspiration in architecture are introduced with the purpose of inspiring future developments