11:15 AM–2:15 PM, Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Baltimore Convention Center - Ballroom III
Sponsoring Unit:
DCMP
Chair: Matthew Fisher, University of California, Santa Barbara
Abstract ID: BAPS.2006.MAR.H2.2
11:51 AM–12:27 PM
Jason Alicea
(University of California, Santa Barbara)
Motivated by inelastic neutron scattering data on Cs$_2$CuCl$_4$, we explore spin-1/2 triangular lattice antiferromagnets with both spatial and easy-plane exchange anisotropies, the latter due to an observed Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. Exploiting a duality mapping followed by a fermionization of the dual vortex degrees of freedom, we find a novel ``critical" spin-liquid phase described in terms of Dirac fermions with an emergent global SU(4) symmetry minimally coupled to a non-compact U(1) gauge field. This ``algebraic vortex liquid" supports gapless spin excitations and universal power-law correlations in the dynamical spin structure factor which are consistent with those observed in Cs$_2$CuCl$_4$. We suggest future neutron scattering experiments that should help distinguish between the algebraic vortex liquid and other spin liquids and quantum critical points previously proposed in the context of Cs$_2$CuCl$_4$.
To cite this abstract, use the following reference: http://meetings.aps.org/link/BAPS.2006.MAR.H2.2