Frustrated spin model as a hard-sphere liquid.
We show that one-dimensional topological objects (kinks) are natural degrees of freedom for an antiferromagnetic Ising model on a triangular lattice. Its ground states and the coexistence of spin ordering with an extensive zero-temperature entropy can easily be understood in terms of kinks forming a hard-sphere liquid. Using this picture we explain effects of quantum spin dynamics on that frustrated model, which we also study numerically.
Materials Science Center, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands.
M V
MV
Mostovoy
D I
DI
Khomskii
J
J
Knoester
N V
NV
Prokof'ev