Quantum Monte Carlo Simulation of the Trellis Lattice Heisenberg Model for SrCu2_2O3_3 and CaV2_2O5_5

We study the spin-1/2 trellis lattice Heisenberg model, a coupled spin ladder system, both by perturbation around the dimer limit and by quantum Monte Carlo simulations. We discuss the influence of the inter-ladder coupling on the spin gap and the dispersion, and present results for the temperature dependence of the uniform susceptibility. The latter was found to be parameterized well by a mean-field type scaling ansatz. Finally we discuss fits of experimental measurements on SrCu$_2$O$_3$ and CaV$_2$O$_5$ to our results.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figure

Strong Coupling Expansions for Antiferromagnetic Heisenberg S=1/2 Ladders

The properties of antiferromagnetic Heisenberg $S=\frac{1}{2}$ ladders with 2, 3, and 4 chains are expanded in the ratio of the intra- and interchain coupling constants. A simple mapping procedure is introduced to relate the 4 and 2-chain ladders which holds down to moderate values of the expansion parameters. A second order calculation of the spin gap to the lowest triplet excitation in the 2- and 4-chain ladders is found to be quite accurate even at the isotropic point where the couplings are equal. Similar expansions and mapping procedures are presented for the 3-chain ladders which are in the same universality class as single chains.Comment: 10 physical pages, uuencoded compressed PostScript file including 12 figures, ETH-TH/942

On possible superconductivity in the doped ladder compound La_(1-x)Sr_xCuO_2.5

LaCuO_2.5 is a system of coupled, two-chain, cuprate ladders which may be doped systematically by Sr substitution. Motivated by the recent synthesis of single crystals, we investigate theoretically the possibility of superconductivity in this compound. We use a model of spin fluctuation-mediated superconductivity, where the pairing potential is strongly peaked at \pi in the ladder direction. We solve the coupled gap equations on the bonding and antibonding ladder bands to find superconducting solutions across the range of doping, and discuss their relevance to the real material.Comment: RevTex, 4 pages, 7 figure

Spin Gap in Two-Dimensional Heisenberg Model for CaV4_4O9_9

We investigate the mechanism of spin gap formation in a two-dimensional model relevant to Mott insulators such as CaV$_4$O$_9$. From the perturbation expansion and quantum Monte Carlo calculations, the origin of the spin gap is ascribed to the four-site plaquette singlet in contrast to the dimer gap established in the generalized dimerized Heisenberg model.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures available upon request (Revtex

Magnetization Plateau in the Frustrated Spin Ladder

The magnetization process of the S=1/2 antiferromagnetic spin ladder at T=0 is studied by the exact diagonalization of finite clusters and size scaling analyses. It is found that a magnetization plateau appears at half the saturation value (m=1/2) in the presence of a sufficiently large next-nearest-neighbor exchange interaction to yield the frustration, when the rung coupling is larger than the leg one. The phase diagram at m=1/2 is given by the analysis based on the conformal invariance. The magnetization curves are also presented in several cases.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, other comment

Nuclear spin relaxation rates in two-leg spin ladders

Using the transfer-matrix DMRG method, we study the nuclear spin relaxation rate 1/T_1 in the two-leg s=1/2 ladder as function of the inter-chain (J_{\perp}) and intra-chain (J_{|}) couplings. In particular, we separate the q_y=0 and \pi contributions and show that the later contribute significantly to the copper relaxation rate ^{63}(1/T_1) in the experimentally relevant coupling and temperature range. We compare our results to both theoretical predictions and experimental measures on ladder materials.Comment: Few modifications from the previous version 4 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in PR

Staggered-spin contribution to nuclear spin-lattice relaxation in two-leg antiferromagnetic spin-1/2 ladders

We study the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate $1/T_1$ in the two-leg antiferromagnetic spin-1/2 Heisenberg ladder. More specifically, we consider the contribution to $1/T_1$ from the processes with momentum transfer $(\pi,\pi)$. In the limit of weak coupling between the two chains, this contribution is of activation type with gap $2\Delta$ at low temperatures ($\Delta$ is the spin gap), but crosses over to a slowly-decaying temperature dependence at the crossover temperature $T\approx\Delta$. This crossover possibly explains the recent high-temperature NMR results on ladder-containing cuprates by T. Imai et al.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, REVTeX, uses eps

Quantitative Determination of Temperature in the Approach to Magnetic Order of Ultracold Fermions in an Optical Lattice

We perform a quantitative simulation of the repulsive Fermi-Hubbard model using an ultracold gas trapped in an optical lattice. The entropy of the system is determined by comparing accurate measurements of the equilibrium double occupancy with theoretical calculations over a wide range of parameters. We demonstrate the applicability of both high-temperature series and dynamical mean-field theory to obtain quantitative agreement with the experimental data. The reliability of the entropy determination is confirmed by a comprehensive analysis of all systematic errors. In the center of the Mott insulating cloud we obtain an entropy per atom as low as 0.77k(B) which is about twice as large as the entropy at the Neel transition. The corresponding temperature depends on the atom number and for small fillings reaches values on the order of the tunneling energy

Singlet Stripe Phases in the planar t-J Model

The energies of singlet stripe phases in which a plane is broken up into spin liquid ladders by lines of holes, is examined. If the holes were static then patterns containing spin liquids with a finite spin gap are favored. The case of dynamic holes is treated by assembling t-J ladders oriented perpendicular to the stripes. For a wide region around $J/t \approx 1$ the hole-hole correlations in a single ladder are found to be predominantly charge density wave type but an attraction between hole pairs on adjacent ladders leads to a stripe phase. A quantum mechanical melting of the hole lines at smaller $J/t$ values leads to a Bose condensate of hole pairs, i.e. a superconducting phase.Comment: 5 pages, uuencoded compressed PostScript file including 5 figures, ETH-TH/942