Description of quasiparticle decay by continuous unitary transformations
| dc.contributor.advisor | Uhrig, Götz Silvester | |
| dc.contributor.author | Fischer, Tim | |
| dc.contributor.referee | Anders, Frithjof | |
| dc.date.accepted | 2012-03-09 | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2012-07-16T09:37:28Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2012-07-16T09:37:28Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2012-07-16 | |
| dc.description.abstract | In sufficiently dimerized quantum antiferromagnets the elementary excitations are given by gapped spin S = 1 triplon quasiparticles. Although these triplons are protected by a gap at low energies they may decay spontaneously at higher energies where the one-triplon dispersion merges with the two-triplon continuum. First, we illustrate and characterize such a spontaneous decay in low-dimensional quantum antiferromagnets on the basis of a simple one-dimensional bosonic model. The decay implies the breakdown of the quasiparticle picture. No quantitative description by a Lorentzian resonance is possible. In particular, three qualitatively different scenarios are identified depending on the one-triplon dispersion and the two-triplon interaction. To describe unstable quasiparticles in more complex models we introduced an adapted generator for continuous unitary transformations. Its general properties are derived and discussed. Next, we investigate asymmetric antiferromagnetic and asymmetric ferroantiferromagnetic spin S = ½ Heisenberg ladders, which allow for spontaneous triplon decay, to illustrate this approach. Results for the low-energy spectra and the dynamical structure factors for these systems are presented. We show that quasiparticle decay is more pronounced in the case of ferro-antiferromagnetic ladders than in solely antiferromagnetic ladders. Finally, we use continuous unitary transformations and high temperature series expansions to determine a quantitative model for the compound IPA-CuCl3 based on data of inelastic neutron scattering and measurements of the magnetic susceptibility. Our calculations reveal IPA-CuCl3 as system of coupled asymmetric spin S = ½ Heisenberg ladders with the four magnetic couplings J 1 ˜ -2.3 meV, J2 ˜ 1.2 meV, J3 ˜ 2.9 meV and J4 ˜ -0.3 meV. Based on this microscopic model for IPA-CuCl3 the adapted continuous unitary transformation is used to describe the quasiparticle decay in IPA-CuCl3. The results agree very well with the experimental data. In addition the magnetic field dependence of the lowest modes in the condensed phase as well as the temperature dependence of the gap without magnetic field corroborate our microscopic model. | en |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/2003/29513 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://dx.doi.org/10.17877/DE290R-14296 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | de |
| dc.subject | Spinsysteme | de |
| dc.subject | Tiefe Temperaturen | de |
| dc.subject.ddc | 530 | |
| dc.subject.rswk | Spinsystem | de |
| dc.subject.rswk | Tieftemperatur | de |
| dc.title | Description of quasiparticle decay by continuous unitary transformations | en |
| dc.type | Text | de |
| dc.type.publicationtype | doctoralThesis | de |
| dcterms.accessRights | open access |