Spin Diffusion in Trapped Gases: Anisotropy in Dipole and Quadrupole Modes

Recent experiments in a mixture of two hyperfine states of trapped Bose gases show behavior analogous to a spin-1/2 system, including transverse spin waves and other familiar Leggett-Rice-type effects. We have derived the kinetic equations applicable to these systems, including the spin dependence of interparticle interactions in the collision integral, and have solved for spin-wave frequencies and longitudinal and transverse diffusion constants in the Boltzmann limit. We find that, while the transverse and longitudinal collision times for trapped Fermi gases are identical, the Bose gas shows unusual diffusion anisotropy in both dipole and quadrupole modes. Moreover, the lack of spin isotropy in the interactions leads to the non-conservation of transverse spin, which in turn has novel effects on the hydrodynamic modes.Comment: 18 pages, 9 figure

Localized collapse and revival of coherence in an ultracold Bose gas

We study the collapse and revival of coherence induced by dipolar spin waves in a trapped gas of Rb-87 atoms. In particular we observe spatially localized collapse and revival of Ramsey fringe contrast and show how the pattern of coherence depends on strength of the spin wave excitation. We find that the spatial character of the coherence dynamics is incompatible with a simple model based only on position-space overlap of wave functions. This phenomenon requires a full phase-space description of the atomic spin using a quantum Boltzmann transport equation, which highlights spin wave-induced coherent spin currents and the ensuing dynamics they drive.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

An investigation of the quantum J1−J2−J3J_1-J_2-J_3 model on the honeycomb lattice

We have investigated the quantum $J_1-J_2-J_3$ model on the honeycomb lattice with exact diagonalizations and linear spin-wave calculations for selected values of $J_{2}/J_{1}$, $J_{3}/J_{1}$ and antiferromagnetic ($J_{1}>0$) or ferromagnetic ($J_{1}<0$) nearest neighbor interactions. We found a variety of quantum effects: "order by disorder" selection of a N{\'e}el ordered ground-state, good candidates for non-classical ground-states with dimer long range order or spin-liquid like. The purely antiferromagnetic Heisenberg model is confirmed to be N{\'e}el ordered. Comparing these results with those observed on the square and triangular lattices, we enumerate some conjectures on the nature of the quantum phases in the isotropic models.Comment: 14 pages, 22 Postscript figures, uses svjour.cls and svepj.clo, submitted to European Physical Journal B: condensed matter physi

Exact diagonalization Studies of Two-dimensional Frustrated Antiferromagnet Models

We describe the four kinds of behavior found in two-dimensional isotropic quantum antiferromagnets. Two of them display long range order at T=0: the N\'eel state and the Valence Bond Crystal. The last two are Spin-Liquids. Properties of these different states are shortly described and open questions are underlined.Comment: 7 pages; invited talk at "HFM 2000" (Waterloo, June 2000); submitted to Can. J. Phy

How to detect weak emergent broken-symmetries of the Kagome antiferromagnet from Raman spectroscopy

We show that the magnetic Raman response of a spin-liquid is independent of the polarizations of the light for triangular symmetries. In contrast, a ground-state that has a broken symmetry shows characteristic oscillations when the polarizations are rotated. This would allow to detect weak broken symmetries and emergent order-parameters. We focus on the Kagome antiferromagnet where no conventional long-range order has been found so far, and present the Raman cross-section of a spin-liquid and a valence bond crystal (VBC) using a random phase approximation.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, v2. intro partially rewritte

Energy-level ordering and ground-state quantum numbers for frustrated two-leg spin-1/2 ladder model

The Lieb-Mattis theorem about antiferromagnetic ordering of energy levels on bipartite lattices is generalized to finite-size two-leg spin-1/2 ladder model frustrated by diagonal interactions. For reflection-symmetric model with site-dependent interactions we prove exactly that the lowest energies in sectors with fixed total spin and reflection quantum numbers are monotone increasing functions of total spin. The nondegeneracy of most levels is proved also. We also establish the uniqueness and obtain the spin value of the lowest-level multiplet in the whole sector formed by reflection-symmetric (antisymmetric) states. For a wide range of coupling constants, we prove that the ground state is a unique spin singlet. For other values of couplings, it may be also a unique spin triplet or may consist of both multiplets. Similar results have been obtained for the ladder with arbitrary boundary impurity spin. Some partial results have also been obtained in the case of periodical boundary conditions.Comment: 17 page

Observation of a Transient Magnetization Plateau in a Quantum Antiferromagnet on the Kagome Lattice

The magnetization process of an S=1/2 antiferromagnet on the kagome lattice, [Cu_3(titmb)_2(OCOCH_3)_6]H_2O {titmb= 1,3,5-tris(imidazol-1-ylmethyl)-2,4,6 trimethylbenzene} has been measured at very low temperatures in both pulsed and steady fields. We have found a new dynamical behavior in the magnetization process: a plateau at one third of the saturation magnetization appears in the pulsed field experiments for intermediate sweep rates of the magnetic field and disappears in the steady field experiments. A theoretical analysis using exact diagonalization yields J_1=-19K and J_2=6K, for the nearest neighbor and second nearest neighbor interactions, respectively. This set of exchange parameters explains the very low saturation field and the absence of the plateau in the thermodynamic equilibrium as well as the two-peak feature in the magnetic heat capacity. Supported by numerical results we argue that a dynamical order by disorder phenomenon could explain the transient appearance of the 1/3 plateau in pulsed field experiments.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

Classical Limit of Demagnetization in a Field Gradient

We calculate the rate of decrease of the expectation value of the transverse component of spin for spin-1/2 particles in a magnetic field with a spatial gradient, to determine the conditions under which a previous classical description is valid. A density matrix treatment is required for two reasons. The first arises because the particles initially are not in a pure state due to thermal motion. The second reason is that each particle interacts with the magnetic field and the other particles, with the latter taken to be via a 2-body central force. The equations for the 1-body Wigner distribution functions are written in a general manner, and the places where quantum mechanical effects can play a role are identified. One that may not have been considered previously concerns the momentum associated with the magnetic field gradient, which is proportional to the time integral of the gradient. Its relative magnitude compared with the important momenta in the problem is a significant parameter, and if their ratio is not small some non-classical effects contribute to the solution. Assuming the field gradient is sufficiently small, and a number of other inequalities are satisfied involving the mean wavelength, range of the force, and the mean separation between particles, we solve the integro- partial differential equations for the Wigner functions to second order in the strength of the gradient. When the same reasoning is applied to a different problem with no field gradient, but having instead a gradient to the z-component of polarization, the connection with the diffusion coefficient is established, and we find agreement with the classical result for the rate of decrease of the transverse component of magnetization.Comment: 22 pages, no figure