University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Numerical simulation of quantum spin systems and experimental optimization

Germany, Chad

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/127406

Description

Title
Numerical simulation of quantum spin systems and experimental optimization
Author(s)
Germany, Chad
Issue Date
2024-12-06
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Clark, Bryan
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Phillips, Phillip
Committee Member(s)
  • MacDougall, Gregory
  • Peng, Jen-Chieh
Department of Study
Physics
Discipline
Physics
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
  • Hamiltonian
  • Spin liquids
  • Heisenberg
  • antiferromagnet
  • phase transition
  • numerical calculations.
Abstract
In neutron scattering experiments, materials such as herbertsmithite have demonstrated promising spin liquid behavior. Herbertsmithite has magnetically isolated interstitial layers of spins in a kagome lattice structure. This motivates studying quantum spin liquids on the two-dimensional kagome lattice. Spin liquids have previously been identified in multiple Hamiltonians on the kagome lattice, including in the Heisenberg limit. It is an interesting question whether these various spin liquids are part of a single connected phase. If so, this would help identify an additional class of Hamiltonians that support spin liquids as well as help resolve a controversy about the identity of the S=1/2 kagome Heisenberg antiferromagnet (KHA) spin liquid. Using numerical calculations, we want to observe if there is a phase transition between these various spin liquids; the absence of such a transition would verify that the two spin liquids are the same. This will be accomplished by changing the parameters of one Hamiltonian to the other and observing any change in phase with its states.
Graduation Semester
2024-12
Type of Resource
Thesis
Handle URL
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/127406
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2024 Chad Germany

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