Title

Limitations of Spin-Wave Theory in T = 0 Spin Dynamics

Authors

James H. Taylor
Gerhard Müller, University of Rhode IslandFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of Original Version

8-1-1983

Abstract

The T = 0 dynamics of a family of one-dimensional quantum spin systems with fully ordered (ferromagnetic or spin-flop) ground states is investigated. By rigorous calculations, it is demonstrated that the T = 0 dynamic structure factor is, in general, not a δ function as predicted by linear spin-wave theory but characterized by more complicated structures with nonzero linewidths. The exact result approaches the spin-wave result in the classical limit s → ∞. The results of this study demonstrate how quantum effects may invalidate spin-wave theory even in the presence of saturated magnetic long-range order. Hence the failure of spin-wave theory is not necessarily linked to the absence or strong reduction of long-range order typical for one-dimensional quantum spin systems. The unreliability of spin-wave theory has therefore to be suspected also for the dynamics of three-dimensional quantum spin systems where the long-range order is always strong at T = 0.

Citation/Publisher Attribution

James H. Taylor and Gerhard Müller. Limitations of spin-wave theory in T=0 spin dynamics. Phys. Rev. B 28 (1983), 1529-1533.

Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.28.1529

Publisher Statement

©1983 American Physical Society. All rights reserved.