Chern-Simons superconductors and their instabilities

Abstract

Two-dimensional quantum antiferromagnets host rich physics, including long-range ordering, high-Tc superconductivity, quantum spin-liquid behavior, topological ordering, a variety of other exotic phases, and quantum criticalities. Frustrating perturbations in antiferromagnets may give rise to strong quantum fluctuations, challenging the theoretical understanding of the many-body ground state. Here we develop a method to describe the quantum antiferromagnets using fermionic degrees of freedom. The method is based on a formally exact mapping between spin-exchange models and theories describing fermionic matter with the emergent U(1) Chern-Simons gauge field. For the planar Néel state, this mapping self-consistently generates the Chern-Simons superconductor mean-field ground state of introduced spinless fermions. We systematically compare the Chern-Simons superconductor state with the planar Néel state at the level of collective modes as well as order parameters. We reveal qualitative and quantitative correspondences between these two states. We demonstrate that such a construction using the fractionalized excitations and Chern-Simons gauge field can not only describe the Néel order, but can also be applied to study quantum spin liquids. Furthermore, we show that the confinement-deconfinement transitions from the Néel order to quantum spin liquids are signaled and characterized by the instabilities of Chern-Simons superconductors, driven by strong frustration. The results suggest observing and classifying the descendants of antiferromagnets, including other ordered states and unconventional superconductors, as well as emergent quantum spin liquids.

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