PIRSA:23090115

Spin-Peierls instability of the U(1) Dirac spin liquid

Seifert, U. (2023). Spin-Peierls instability of the U(1) Dirac spin liquid. Perimeter Institute. https://pirsa.org/23090115

Seifert, Urban. Spin-Peierls instability of the U(1) Dirac spin liquid. Perimeter Institute, Sep. 26, 2023, https://pirsa.org/23090115 

          @misc{ pirsa_PIRSA:23090115,
            doi = {10.48660/23090115},
            url = {https://pirsa.org/23090115},
            author = {Seifert, Urban},
            keywords = {Condensed Matter},
            language = {en},
            title = {Spin-Peierls instability of the U(1) Dirac spin liquid},
            publisher = {Perimeter Institute},
            year = {2023},
            month = {sep},
            note = {PIRSA:23090115 see, \url{https://pirsa.org}}
          }

Urban Seifert

University of California, Santa Barbara

Talk number
PIRSA:23090115
Collection
Talk Type
Subject
Abstract

The presence of many competing classical ground states in frustrated magnets implies that quantum fluctuations may stabilize quantum spin liquids (QSL), which are characterized by fractionalized excitations and emergent gauge fields. A paradigmatic example is the U(1) Dirac spin liquid (DSL), which at low-energies is described by emergent quantum electrodynamics in 2+1 dimensions (QED3), a strongly interacting field theory with conformal symmetry. While the DSL is believed to be intrinsically stable, its robustness against various other couplings has been largely unexplored and is a timely question, also given recent experiments on triangular-lattice rare-earth oxides. In this talk, using complementary perturbation theory and scaling arguments as well as results from numerical DMRG simulations, I will show that a symmetry-allowed coupling between (classical) finite-wavevector lattice distortions and monopole operators of the U(1) Dirac spin liquid generally induces a spin-Peierls instability towards a (confining) valence-bond solid state. Away from the limit of static distortions, I will argue that the phonon energy gap establishes a parameter regime where the spin liquid is expected to be stable.

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