Effective field theory for Sp(N) antiferromagnets and its phase structure

TL;DR

This paper develops an effective field theory for 2D Sp(N) antiferromagnets, analyzes its phase structure with anisotropy, and identifies phase transitions and symmetry enhancements using analytical and numerical methods.

Contribution

It extends the CP^{N-1} model to Sp(N) antiferromagnets, studies phase transitions under anisotropy, and introduces a lattice gauge model with Monte Carlo analysis.

Findings

Phase transition from Néel to paramagnetic phase with increasing anisotropy.

Emergence of a nematic-like phase with explicit SU(N) symmetry breaking.

Local SU(2) gauge symmetry appears at the phase transition point.

Abstract

In this paper, we study quantum Sp(N) antiferromagnetic (AF) Heisenberg models in two dimensions (2D) by using the Schwinger-boson representation and the path-integral methods. An effective field theory, which is an extension of CP^{N-1} model in (2+1)D, is derived and its phase structure is studied by the 1/N-expansion. We introduce a spatial anisotropy in the exchange couplings and show that the effective coupling constant in the CP^{N-1} model is an increasing function of the anisotropy. For the SU(N) AF Heisenberg model, which is a specific case of the Sp(N) model, we found that phase transition from the ordered "N\'eel state" to paramagnetic phase takes place as the anisotropy is increased. In the vicinity of the SU(N) symmetric point, this phase structure is retained. However as a parameter that controls explicit breaking of the SU(N) symmetry is increased, a new phase, which is similar to the spiral-spin phase with a nematic order in frustrated SU(2) spin systems, appears. It is shown that at that phase transition point, a local SU(2) gauge symmetry with composite SU(2) gauge field appears in the low-energy sector. It is another example of symmetry-enhancement phenomenon at low energies. We also introduce a lattice gauge-theoretical model, which is a counterpart of the effective field theory, and study its phase structure by means of the Monte-Carlo simulations.