The "Square Kagome" Quantum Antiferromagnet and the Eight Vertex Model

We introduce a two dimensional network of corner-sharing triangles with square lattice symmetry. Properties of magnetic systems here should be similar to those on the kagome lattice. Focusing on the spin half Heisenberg quantum antiferromagnet, we generalise the spin symmetry group from SU(2) to SU(N). In the large N limit, we map the model exactly to the eight vertex model, solved by Baxter. We predict an exponential number of low-lying singlet states, a triplet gap, and a two-peak specific heat. In addition, the large N limit suggests a finite temperature phase transition into a phase with ordered ``resonance loops'' and broken translational symmetry.Comment: 5 pages, revtex, 5 eps figures include

Superfluidity in a gas of strongly-interacting bosons

We consider small systems of bosonic atoms rotating in a toroidal trap. Using the method of exact numerical diagonalization of the many-body Hamiltonian, we examine the transition from the Bose-Einstein condensed state to the Tonks-Girardeau state. The system supports persistent currents in a wide range between the two limits, even in the absence of Bose-Einstein condensation.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, revised version, to appear in Europh. Let

Internal Vortex Structure of a Trapped Spinor Bose-Einstein Condensate

The internal vortex structure of a trapped spin-1 Bose-Einstein condensate is investigated. It is shown that it has a variety of configurations depending on, in particular, the ratio of the relevant scattering lengths and the total magnetization.Comment: replacement; minor grammatical corrections but with additional figure

Field theories of paramagnetic Mott insulators

This is a summary of a central argument in recent review articles by the author (cond-mat/0109419, cond-mat/0211005, and cond-mat/0211027). An effective field theory is derived for the low energy spin singlet excitations in a paramagnetic Mott insulator with collinear spin correlations.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, Proceedings of the International Conference on Theoretical Physics, Paris, UNESCO, July 200

Trapped Fermi gases

We study the properties of a spin-polarized Fermi gas in a harmonic trap, using the semiclassical (Thomas-Fermi) approximation. Universal forms for the spatial and momentum distributions are calculated, and the results compared with the corresponding properties of a dilute Bose gas.Comment: 6 pages, LaTex, revtex, epsf, submitted to Phys. Rev. A, 6 December 199

Four-spin-exchange- and magnetic-field-induced chiral order in two-leg spin ladders

We propose a mechanism of a vector chiral long-range order in two-leg spin-1/2 and spin-1 antiferromagnetic ladders with four-spin exchanges and a Zeeman term. It is known that for one-dimensional quantum systems, spontaneous breakdown of continuous symmetries is generally forbidden. Any vector chiral order hence does not appear in spin-rotationally [SU(2)]-symmetric spin ladders. However, if a magnetic field is added along the S^z axis of ladders and the SU(2) symmetry is reduced to the U(1) one, the z component of a vector chiral order can emerge with the remaining U(1) symmetry unbroken. Making use of Abelian bosonization techniques, we actually show that a certain type of four-spin exchange can yield a vector chiral long-range order in spin-1/2 and spin-1 ladders under a magnetic field. In the chiral-ordered phase, the Z_2 interchain-parity (i.e., chain-exchange) symmetry is spontaneously broken. We also consider effects of perturbations breaking the parity symmetry.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure, RevTex, published versio