Long-range spin correlations in a honeycomb spin model with magnetic field

TL;DR

This paper studies how a weak magnetic field induces long-range spin correlations and modifies the dynamic structure factor in a honeycomb spin model, revealing power-law decay and oscillations in correlations.

Contribution

It provides an all-orders summation of perturbation theory for spin correlations and links the effects to an effective Majorana fermion Hamiltonian with a magnetic field-induced vector potential.

Findings

Power-law decay of spin correlations with oscillations at wavelength 3 lattice constants.

Modification of correlation wave vector proportional to magnetic field squared.

Square-root behavior of the dynamic structure factor near inter-conical points.

Abstract

We consider spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ model on the honeycomb lattice in the presence of weak magnetic field $h\ll J$. Such a perturbation treated in the second order over $h$ leads to the power-law decay of irreducible spin correlation function $S(\mathbf{r},t)=\left\langle \left\langle s^{z}_r(t)s^{z}_0(0)\right\rangle \right\rangle \propto h_{z}^{2}f(t,\mathbf{r})$, where $f(t,\mathbf{r})\propto \lbrack \max (t,Jr)]^{-4}$ is an oscillating function of $\mathbf{r}$, with a wavelength equal to 3 lattice constants. In the present Letter we sum main terms in all orders of the perturbation theory for the correlation function $S(\mathbf{r},t)$ in the limit of large $r,t$. Our results can be understood in terms of the effective low-energy Hamiltonian written in terms of Majorana fermions, which in the presence of magnetic field acquire vector potential $A_x \propto h_z^2$. Correspondingly, the wave vector of the oscillations in $S(\mathbf{r},t)$ changes according to $\delta k \propto h_z^2$. We also compute the dynamic structure factor $S(\mathbf{p},\omega)$; in the vicinity of $\mathbf{p}_K$ corresponding to the inter-conical points excitations it reads as $S(\mathbf{p},\omega)-S(\mathbf{p}_K,\omega)\propto\sqrt{\omega^2-3J^2(\mathbf{p}-\mathbf{p}_K)^2}$.