Algebraic spin liquid as the mother of many competing orders

Hermele, Michael; Senthil, T.; Fisher, Matthew P. A.

Algebraic spin liquid as the mother of many competing orders

Authors

Hermele, Michael

Senthil, T.

Fisher, Matthew P. A.

Description

We study the properties of a class of two-dimensional interacting critical states -- dubbed algebraic spin liquids -- that can arise in two-dimensional quantum magnets. A particular example that we focus on is the staggered flux spin liquid, which plays a key role in some theories of underdoped cuprate superconductors. We show that the low-energy theory of such states has much higher symmetry than the underlying microscopic spin system. This symmetry has remarkable consequences, leading in particular to the unification of a number of seemingly unrelated competing orders. The correlations of these orders -- including, in the staggered flux state, the Neel vector and the order parameter for the columnar and box valence-bond solid states -- all exhibit the SAME slow power-law decay. Implications for experiments in the pseudogap regime of the cuprates and for numerical calculations on model systems are discussed.
Minor changes; final published version. 17 pages, 3 figures