Spinon-Phonon Interaction in Algebraic Spin Liquids

TL;DR

This paper develops a symmetry-based framework to derive spinon-phonon interactions in algebraic spin liquids with Dirac-like spinon dispersion, and explores their potential as experimental probes through ultrasound attenuation.

Contribution

It introduces a general procedure for deriving spinon-phonon interactions based on symmetry, applied to various algebraic spin liquids, highlighting how different symmetries affect the interaction forms.

Findings

Derived explicit spinon-phonon interaction Hamiltonians for four algebraic spin liquids.

Estimated ultrasound attenuation due to spinon-phonon interactions.

Discussed sound attenuation as a probe for fractionalized spin excitations.

Abstract

Motivated by a search for experimental probes to access the physics of fractionalized excitations called spinons in a spin liquids, we study the interaction of spinons with lattice vibrations. We consider the case of algebraic spin liquid, when spinons have fermionic statistics and a Dirac-like dispersion. We establish the general procedure for deriving spinon-phonon interactions which is based on a symmetry considerations. The procedure is illustrated for four different algebraic spin liquids: pi-flux and staggered-flux phases on a square lattice, pi-flux phase on a kagome lattice, and zero flux phase on a honeycomb lattice. Although the low energy description is similar for all these phases, different underlying symmetry group leads to a distinct form of spinon-phonon interaction Hamiltonian. The explicit form of the spinon-phonon interaction is used to estimate the attenuation of ultrasound in an algebraic spin liquid. The perspectives of the sound attenuation as probe of spinons are discussed.