Constraint Effective Potential of the Magnetization in the Quantum XY Model

Using an improved estimator in the loop-cluster algorithm, we investigate the constraint effective potential of the magnetization in the spin $tfrac{1}{2}$ quantum XY model. The numerical results are in excellent agreement with the predictions of the corresponding low-energy effective field theory. After its low-energy parameters have been determined with better than permille precision, the effective theory makes accurate predictions for the constraint effective potential which are in excellent agreement with the Monte Carlo data. This shows that the effective theory indeed describes the physics in the low-energy regime quantitatively correctly.

Subtlety of Studying the Critical Theory of a Second Order Phase Transition

We study the quantum phase transition from a super solid phase to a solid phase of rho = 1/2 for the extended Bose-Hubbard model on the honeycomb lattice using first principles Monte Carlo calculations. The motivation of our study is to quantitatively understand the impact of theoretical input, in particular the dynamical critical exponent z, in calculating the critical exponent nu. Hence we have carried out four sets of simulations with beta = 2N^{1/2}, beta = 8N^{1/2}, beta = N/2, and beta = N/4, respectively. Here beta is the inverse temperature and N is the numbers of lattice sites used in the simulations. By applying data collapse to the observable superfluid density rho_{s2} in the second spatial direction, we confirm that the transition is indeed governed by the superfluid-insulator universality class. However we find it is subtle to determine the precise location of the critical point. For example, while the critical chemical potential (mu/V)_c occurs at (mu/V)_c = 2.3239(3) for the data obtained using beta = 2N^{1/2}, the (mu/V)_c determined from the data simulated with beta = N/2 is found to be (mu/V)_c = 2.3186(2). Further, while a good data collapse for rho_{s2}N can be obtained with the data determined using beta = N/4 in the simulations, a reasonable quality of data collapse for the same observable calculated from another set of simulations with beta = 8N^{1/2} can hardly be reached. Surprisingly, assuming z for this phase transition is determined to be 2 first in a Monte Carlo calculation, then a high quality data collapse for rho_{s2}N can be achieved for (mu/V)_c ~ 2.3184 and nu ~ 0.7 using the data obtained with beta = 8N^{1/2}. Our results imply that one might need to reconsider the established phase diagrams of some models if the accurate location of the critical point is crucial in obtaining a conclusion.

Topological Lattice Actions

We consider lattice field theories with topological actions, which are invariant against small deformations of the fields. Some of these actions have infinite barriers separating different topological sectors. Topological actions do not have the correct classical continuum limit and they cannot be treated using perturbation theory, but they still yield the correct quantum continuum limit. To show this, we present analytic studies of the 1-d O(2) and O(3) model, as well as Monte Carlo simulations of the 2-d O(3) model using topological lattice actions. Some topological actions obey and others violate a lattice Schwarz inequality between the action and the topological charge Q. Irrespective of this, in the 2-d O(3) model the topological susceptibility chi_t = l< Q^2 >/V is logarithmically divergent in the continuum limit. Still, at non-zero distance the correlator of the topological charge density has a finite continuum limit which is consistent with analytic predictions. Our study shows explicitly that some classically important features of an action are irrelevant for reaching the correct quantum continuum limit.

Microscopic Model versus Systematic Low-Energy Effective Field Theory for a Doped Quantum Ferromagnet

We consider a microscopic model for a doped quantum ferromagnet as a test case for the systematic low-energy effective field theory for magnons and holes, which is constructed in complete analogy to the case of quantum antiferromagnets. In contrast to antiferromagnets, for which the effective field theory approach can be tested only numerically, in the ferromagnetic case both the microscopic and the effective theory can be solved analytically. In this way the low-energy parameters of the effective theory are determined exactly by matching to the underlying microscopic model. The low-energy behavior at half-filling as well as in the single- and two-hole sectors is described exactly by the systematic low-energy effective field theory. In particular, for weakly bound two-hole states the effective field theory even works beyond perturbation theory. This lends strong support to the quantitative success of the systematic low-energy effective field theory method not only in the ferromagnetic but also in the physically most interesting antiferromagnetic case.

Subtlety of Determining the Critical Exponent $ u$ of the Spin-1/2 Heisenberg Model with a Spatially Staggered Anisotropy on the Honeycomb Lattice

Puzzled by the indication of a new critical theory for the spin-1/2 Heisenberg model with a spatially staggered anisotropy on the square lattice as suggested in cite{Wenzel08}, we study a similar anisotropic spin-1/2 Heisenberg model on the honeycomb lattice. The critical point where the phase transition occurs due to the dimerization as well as the critical exponent $ u$ are analyzed in great detail. Remarkly, using most of the available data points in conjunction with the expected finite-size scaling ansatz with a sub-leading correction indeed leads to a consistent $ u = 0.691(2)$ with that calculated in cite{Wenzel08}. However by using the data with large number of spins $N$, we obtain $ u = 0.707(6)$ which agrees with the most accurate Monte Carlo O(3) value $ u = 0.7112(5)$ as well.