No Arabic abstract
We perform a renormalization group analysis of some important effective field theoretic models for deconfined spinons. We show that deconfined spinons are critical for an isotropic SU(N) Heisenberg antiferromagnet, if $N$ is large enough. We argue that nonperturbatively this result should persist down to N=2 and provide further evidence for the so called deconfined quantum criticality scenario. Deconfined spinons are also shown to be critical for the case describing a transition between quantum spin nematic and dimerized phases. On the other hand, the deconfined quantum criticality scenario is shown to fail for a class of easy-plane models. For the cases where deconfined quantum criticality occurs, we calculate the critical exponent $eta$ for the decay of the two-spin correlation function to first-order in $epsilon=4-d$. We also note the scaling relation $eta=d+2(1-phi/ u)$ connecting the exponent $eta$ for the decay to the correlation length exponent $ u$ and the crossover exponent $phi$.
We report a quantum Monte Carlo study of the phase transition between antiferromagnetic and valence-bond solid ground states in the square-lattice $S=1/2$ $J$-$Q$ model. The critical correlation function of the $Q$ terms gives a scaling dimension corresponding to the value $ u = 0.455 pm 0.002$ of the correlation-length exponent. This value agrees with previous (less precise) results from conventional methods, e.g., finite-size scaling of the near-critical order parameters. We also study the $Q$-derivatives of the Binder cumulants of the order parameters for $L^2$ lattices with $L$ up to $448$. The slope grows as $L^{1/ u}$ with a value of $ u$ consistent with the scaling dimension of the $Q$ term. There are no indications of runaway flow to a first-order phase transition. The mutually consistent estimates of $ u$ provide compelling support for a continuous deconfined quantum-critical point.
We develop a nonequilibrium increment method to compute the Renyi entanglement entropy and investigate its scaling behavior at the deconfined critical (DQC) point via large-scale quantum Monte Carlo simulations. To benchmark the method, we first show that at an conformally-invariant critical point of O(3) transition, the entanglement entropy exhibits universal scaling behavior of area law with logarithmic corner corrections and the obtained correction exponent represents the current central charge of the critical theory. Then we move on to the deconfined quantum critical point, where although we still observe similar scaling behavior but with a very different exponent. Namely, the corner correction exponent is found to be negative. Such a negative exponent is in sharp contrast with positivity condition of the Renyi entanglement entropy, which holds for unitary conformal field theories. Our results unambiguously reveal fundamental differences between DQC and QCPs described by unitary CFTs.
We study scaling behavior of the disorder parameter, defined as the expectation value of a symmetry transformation applied to a finite region, at the deconfined quantum critical point in (2+1)$d$ in the $J$-$Q_3$ model via large-scale quantum Monte Carlo simulations. We show that the disorder parameter for U(1) spin rotation symmetry exhibits perimeter scaling with a logarithmic correction associated with sharp corners of the region, as generally expected for a conformally-invariant critical point. However, for large rotation angle the universal coefficient of the logarithmic corner correction becomes negative, which is not allowed in any unitary conformal field theory. We also extract the current central charge from the small rotation angle scaling, whose value is much smaller than that of the free theory.
We describe the phase diagram of electrons on a fully connected lattice with random hopping, subject to a random Heisenberg spin exchange interactions between any pair of sites and a constraint of no double occupancy. A perturbative renormalization group analysis yields a critical point with fractionalized excitations at a non-zero critical value $p_c$ of the hole doping $p$ away from the half-filled insulator. We compute the renormalization group to two loops, but some exponents are obtained to all loop order. We argue that the critical point $p_c$ is flanked by confining phases: a disordered Fermi liquid with carrier density $1+p$ for $p>p_c$, and a metallic spin glass with carrier density $p$ for $p<p_c$. Additional evidence for the critical behavior is obtained from a large $M$ analysis of a model which extends the SU(2) spin symmetry to SU($M$). We discuss the relationship of the vicinity of this deconfined quantum critical point to key aspects of cuprate phenomenology.
There is a number of contradictory findings with regard to whether the theory describing easy-plane quantum antiferromagnets undergoes a second-order phase transition. The traditional Landau-Ginzburg-Wilson approach suggests a first-order phase transition, as there are two different competing order parameters. On the other hand, it is known that the theory has the property of self-duality which has been connected to the existence of a deconfined quantum critical point. The latter regime suggests that order parameters are not the elementary building blocks of the theory, but rather consist of fractionalized particles that are confined in both phases of the transition and only appear - deconfine - at the critical point. Nevertheless, numerical Monte Carlo simulations disagree with the claim of deconfined quantum criticality in the system, indicating instead a first-order phase transition. Here these contradictions are resolved by demonstrating via a duality transformation that a new critical regime exists analogous to the zero temperature limit of a certain classical statistical mechanics system. Because of this analogy, we dub this critical regime frozen. A renormalization group analysis bolsters this claim, allowing us to go beyond it and align previous numerical predictions of the first-order phase transition with the deconfined criticality in a consistent framework.