2015/07/31 by Thiago Milanetto Schlittler, T. M. Schlittler, Thomas Barthel +7 · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism #Quantum many-body systems #Theoretical and Computational Physics #cond-mat.str-el
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.115.217202
published as Phys. Rev. Lett. 115, 217202 (2015) · Published version. 5 pages + 8 (Supplemental Material), 31 references, 10 color figures
openalex publication_date 2015/11/18 · arxiv created 2015/11/23 · arxiv updated 2015/11/24 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We introduce a quantum dimer model on the hexagonal lattice that, in addition to the standard three-dimer kinetic and potential terms, includes a competing potential part counting dimer-free hexagons. The zero-temperature phase diagram is studied by means of quantum Monte Carlo simulations, supplemented by variational arguments. It reveals some new crystalline phases and a cascade of transitions with rapidly changing flux (tilt in the height language). We analyze perturbatively the vicinity of the Rokhsar-Kivelson point, showing that this model has the microscopic ingredients needed for the "devil's staircase" scenario [Eduardo Fradkin et al. Phys. Rev. B 69, 224415 (2004)], and is therefore expected to produce fractal variations of the ground-state flux.