We study the zero-temperature phase diagram of the spin-$frac{1}{2}$ Heisenberg model with breathing anisotropy (i.e., with different coupling strength on the upward and downward triangles) on the kagome lattice. Our study relies on large scale tenso
r network simulations based on infinite projected entangled-pair state and infinite projected entangled-simplex state methods adapted to the kagome lattice. Our energy analysis suggests that the U(1) algebraic quantum spin-liquid (QSL) ground-state of the isotropic Heisenberg model is stable up to very large breathing anisotropy until it breaks down to a critical lattice-nematic phase that breaks rotational symmetry in real space through a first-order quantum phase transition. Our results also provide further insight into the recent experiment on vanadium oxyfluoride compounds which has been shown to be relevant platforms for realizing QSL in the presence of breathing anisotropy.
We investigate the spin-1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet on the kagome lattice with breathing anisotropy (i.e. with weak and strong triangular units), constructing an improved simplex Resonating Valence Bond (RVB) ansatz by successive applications (up
to three times) of local quantum gates which implement a filtering operation on the bare nearest-neighbor RVB state. The resulting Projected Entangled Pair State involves a small number of variational parameters (only one at each level of application) and preserves full lattice and spin-rotation symmetries. Despite its simple analytic form, the simplex RVB provides very good variational energies at strong and even intermediate breathing anisotropy. We show that it carries $Z_2$ topological order which does not fade away under the first few applications of the quantum gates, suggesting that the RVB topological spin liquid becomes a competing ground state candidate for the kagome antiferromagnet at large breathing anisotropy.
The nature of the ground state of the spin $S=1/2$ Heisenberg antiferromagnet on the kagome lattice with breathing anisotropy (i.e., with different superexchange couplings $J_{vartriangle}$ and $J_{triangledown}$ within elementary up- and down-pointi
ng triangles) is investigated within the framework of Gutzwiller projected fermionic wave functions and Monte Carlo methods. We analyze the stability of the U(1) Dirac spin liquid with respect to the presence of fermionic pairing that leads to a gapped $mathbb{Z}_{2}$ spin liquid. For several values of the ratio $J_{triangledown}/J_{vartriangle}$, the size scaling of the energy gain due to the pairing fields and the variational parameters are reported. Our results show that the energy gain of the gapped spin liquid with respect to the gapless state either vanishes for large enough system size or scales to zero in the thermodynamic limit. Similarly, the optimized pairing amplitudes (responsible for opening the spin gap) are shown to vanish in the thermodynamic limit. Our outcome is corroborated by the application of one and two Lanczos steps to the gapless and gapped wave functions, for which no energy gain of the gapped state is detected when improving the quality of the variational states. Finally, we discuss the competition with the simplex $mathbb{Z}_{2}$ resonating-valence-bond spin liquid, valence-bond crystal, and nematic states in the strongly anisotropic regime, i.e., $J_{triangledown} ll J_{vartriangle}$.
In a recent paper [arXiv:1601.02165], Tao Li claimed that a gapped $mathbb{Z}_2$ spin liquid, obtained using projected Gutzwiller fermionic wave functions, can be stabilized in the Heisenberg model on the kagome lattice. We perform very accurate vari
ational calculations and confirm with unprecedented accuracy the fact, that the $mathbb{Z}_{2}$ spin liquid is a local energy minimum that goes away with system size, thus reaffirming the scenario of a gapless $U(1)$ Dirac spin liquid ground state.
A set of localized, non-Abelian anyons - such as vortices in a p_x + i p_y superconductor or quasiholes in certain quantum Hall states - gives rise to a macroscopic degeneracy. Such a degeneracy is split in the presence of interactions between the an
yons. Here we show that in two spatial dimensions this splitting selects a unique collective state as ground state of the interacting many-body system. This collective state can be a novel gapped quantum liquid nucleated inside the original parent liquid (of which the anyons are excitations). This physics is of relevance for any quantum Hall plateau realizing a non-Abelian quantum Hall state when moving off the center of the plateau.
Motivated by the recently observed pattern of unidirectional domains in high-T_c superconductors [Y. Kohsaka et al., Science 315, 1380 (2007)], we investigate the emergence of spontaneous modulations in the d-wave superconducting resonating valence b
ond phase using the t-J model at x=1/8 doping. Half-filled charge domains separated by four lattice spacings are found to form along one of the crystal axis leading to modulated superconductivity with out-of-phase d-wave order parameters in neighboring domains. Both renormalized mean-field theory and variational Monte Carlo calculations yield that the energies of modulated and uniform phases are very close to each other.
We propose a new form of inhomogeneous phases consisting of out-of-phase staggered flux domains separated by diagonal charged domain walls centered on bonds or on sites. Remarkably, such domain flux phases are spin-rotationally symmetric and exhibit
cone-like quasiparticle dispersion as well as incommensurate order of orbital currents. Such features are consistent with the pseudogap behavior and the diagonal stripes observed experimentally in lightly doped cuprates. A renormalized mean field theory shows that such solutions are competitive candidates within the $t$--$J$ model.
Charge, spin, as well as lattice instabilities are investigated in isolated or weakly coupled chains of correlated electrons at quarter-filling. Our analysis is based on extended Hubbard models including nearest neighbor repulsion and Peierls couplin
g to lattice degrees of freedom. While treating the electronic quantum fluctuations exactly, the lattice structure is optimized self-consistently. We show that, generically, isolated chains undergo instabilities towards coexisting charge density waves (CDW) and bond order waves (BOW) insulating spin-gapped phases. The spin and charge gaps of the BOW-CDW phase are computed. In the presence of an interchain magnetic coupling spin density waves phases including a CDW or a BOW component are also found. Our results are discussed in the context of insulating charge transfer salts.
