Algebraic spin liquid as the mother of many competing orders

TL;DR

This paper explores algebraic spin liquids in 2D quantum magnets, revealing their high symmetry and unified competing orders, with implications for cuprate superconductors and numerical models.

Contribution

It demonstrates that algebraic spin liquids have enhanced symmetry leading to the unification of various competing orders in 2D quantum magnets.

Findings

Competing orders exhibit identical power-law decay.

High symmetry unifies Neel and valence-bond solid orders.

Implications for cuprate pseudogap regime and numerical models.

Abstract

We study the properties of a class of two-dimensional interacting critical states -- dubbed algebraic spin liquids -- that can arise in two-dimensional quantum magnets. A particular example that we focus on is the staggered flux spin liquid, which plays a key role in some theories of underdoped cuprate superconductors. We show that the low-energy theory of such states has much higher symmetry than the underlying microscopic spin system. This symmetry has remarkable consequences, leading in particular to the unification of a number of seemingly unrelated competing orders. The correlations of these orders -- including, in the staggered flux state, the Neel vector and the order parameter for the columnar and box valence-bond solid states -- all exhibit the SAME slow power-law decay. Implications for experiments in the pseudogap regime of the cuprates and for numerical calculations on model systems are discussed.