Exact valence bond entanglement entropy and probability distribution in the XXX spin chain and the Potts model

By relating the ground state of Temperley-Lieb hamiltonians to partition functions of 2D statistical mechanics systems on a half plane, and using a boundary Coulomb gas formalism, we obtain in closed form the valence bond entanglement entropy as well as the valence bond probability distribution in these ground states. We find in particular that for the XXX spin chain, the number N_c of valence bonds connecting a subsystem of size L to the outside goes, in the thermodynamic limit, as = (4/pi^2) ln L, disproving a recent conjecture that this should be related with the von Neumann entropy, and thus equal to 1/(3 ln 2) ln L. Our results generalize to the Q-state Potts model.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Dense loops, supersymmetry, and Goldstone phases in two dimensions

Loop models in two dimensions can be related to O(N) models. The low-temperature dense-loops phase of such a model, or of its reformulation using a supergroup as symmetry, can have a Goldstone broken-symmetry phase for N<2. We argue that this phase is generic for -2< N <2 when crossings of loops are allowed, and distinct from the model of non-crossing dense loops first studied by Nienhuis [Phys. Rev. Lett. 49, 1062 (1982)]. Our arguments are supported by our numerical results, and by a lattice model solved exactly by Martins et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 81, 504 (1998)].Comment: RevTeX, 5 pages, 3 postscript figure

On the universality of compact polymers

Fully packed loop models on the square and the honeycomb lattice constitute new classes of critical behaviour, distinct from those of the low-temperature O(n) model. A simple symmetry argument suggests that such compact phases are only possible when the underlying lattice is bipartite. Motivated by the hope of identifying further compact universality classes we therefore study the fully packed loop model on the square-octagon lattice. Surprisingly, this model is only critical for loop weights n < 1.88, and its scaling limit coincides with the dense phase of the O(n) model. For n=2 it is exactly equivalent to the selfdual 9-state Potts model. These analytical predictions are confirmed by numerical transfer matrix results. Our conclusions extend to a large class of bipartite decorated lattices.Comment: 13 pages including 4 figure

Sound velocity and absorption measurements under high pressure using picosecond ultrasonics in diamond anvil cell. Application to the stability study of AlPdMn

We report an innovative high pressure method combining the diamond anvil cell device with the technique of picosecond ultrasonics. Such an approach allows to accurately measure sound velocity and attenuation of solids and liquids under pressure of tens of GPa, overcoming all the drawbacks of traditional techniques. The power of this new experimental technique is demonstrated in studies of lattice dynamics, stability domain and relaxation process in a metallic sample, a perfect single-grain AlPdMn quasicrystal, and rare gas, neon and argon. Application to the study of defect-induced lattice stability in AlPdMn up to 30 GPa is proposed. The present work has potential for application in areas ranging from fundamental problems in physics of solid and liquid state, which in turn could be beneficial for various other scientific fields as Earth and planetary science or material research

Neutron scattering study of spin ordering and stripe pinning in superconducting La1.93_{1.93}Sr0.07_{0.07}CuO4_4

The relationships among charge order, spin fluctuations, and superconductivity in underdoped cuprates remain controversial. We use neutron scattering techniques to study these phenomena in La$_{1.93}$Sr$_{0.07}$CuO$_4$, a superconductor with a transition temperature of $T_c = 20$~K. At $T\ll T_c$, we find incommensurate spin fluctuations with a quasielastic energy spectrum and no sign of a gap within the energy range from 0.2 to 15 meV. A weak elastic magnetic component grows below $\sim10$~K, consistent with results from local probes. Regarding the atomic lattice, we have discovered unexpectedly strong fluctuations of the CuO$_6$ octahedra about Cu-O bonds, which are associated with inequivalent O sites within the CuO$_2$ planes. Furthermore, we observed a weak elastic $(3\bar{3}0)$ superlattice peak that implies a reduced lattice symmetry. The presence of inequivalent O sites rationalizes various pieces of evidence for charge stripe order in underdoped \lsco. The coexistence of superconductivity with quasi-static spin-stripe order suggests the presence of intertwined orders; however, the rotation of the stripe orientation away from the Cu-O bonds might be connected with evidence for a finite gap at the nodal points of the superconducting gap function.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figures; accepted versio

A real-space grid implementation of the Projector Augmented Wave method

A grid-based real-space implementation of the Projector Augmented Wave (PAW) method of P. E. Blochl [Phys. Rev. B 50, 17953 (1994)] for Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations is presented. The use of uniform 3D real-space grids for representing wave functions, densities and potentials allows for flexible boundary conditions, efficient multigrid algorithms for solving Poisson and Kohn-Sham equations, and efficient parallelization using simple real-space domain-decomposition. We use the PAW method to perform all-electron calculations in the frozen core approximation, with smooth valence wave functions that can be represented on relatively coarse grids. We demonstrate the accuracy of the method by calculating the atomization energies of twenty small molecules, and the bulk modulus and lattice constants of bulk aluminum. We show that the approach in terms of computational efficiency is comparable to standard plane-wave methods, but the memory requirements are higher.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review

The packing of two species of polygons on the square lattice

We decorate the square lattice with two species of polygons under the constraint that every lattice edge is covered by only one polygon and every vertex is visited by both types of polygons. We end up with a 24 vertex model which is known in the literature as the fully packed double loop model. In the particular case in which the fugacities of the polygons are the same, the model admits an exact solution. The solution is obtained using coordinate Bethe ansatz and provides a closed expression for the free energy. In particular we find the free energy of the four colorings model and the double Hamiltonian walk and recover the known entropy of the Ice model. When both fugacities are set equal to two the model undergoes an infinite order phase transition.Comment: 21 pages, 4 figure