From an Antiferromagnet to a Valence Bond Solid: Evidence for a First Order Phase Transition

Using a loop-cluster algorithm we investigate the spin 1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet on a square lattice with exchange coupling $J$ and an additional four-spin interaction of strength $Q$. We confirm the existence of a phase transition separating antiferromagnetism at $J/Q > J_c/Q$ from a valence bond solid (VBS) state at $J/Q J_c/Q$ the staggered magnetization, the spin stiffness, and the spinwave velocity of the antiferromagnet are determined by fitting Monte Carlo data to analytic results from the systematic low-energy effective field theory for magnons. Finally, we also investigate the physics of the VBS state at $J/Q

Duke Scholars

Author Shailesh Chandrasekharan Physics