Quantum Kasteleyn transition

Powell, Stephen

Abstract

Dimer models arise as effective descriptions in a variety of physical contexts, and provide paradigmatic examples of systems subject to strong local constraints. Here we present a quantum version of the venerable Kasteleyn model, which has an unusual phase transition from a dimer solid to a U(1) liquid. We show how the phase structure of the quantum model can be understood in terms of the quantum mechanics of one-dimensional strings and determine the exact value of the critical coupling. By constructing effective models to describe the properties of these strings, we calculate properties such as the dimer-dimer correlation function in the neighborhood of the transition. We also discuss the full phase structure of the model, in the ground state and at nonzero temperature.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 1, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Feb 9, 2022
• Publication Date: Feb 1, 2022
• Deposit Date: Feb 2, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 14, 2022
• Journal: Physical Review B
• Print ISSN: 2469-9950
• Electronic ISSN: 2469-9969
• Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 105
• Issue: 6
• Article Number: 064413
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.105.064413
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/7373935
• Publisher URL: https://journals.aps.org/prb/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevB.105.064413