Condensed Matter Physics, 2020, vol. 23, No. 4, 43711
DOI:10.5488/CMP.23.43711           arXiv:2101.07016

Title: SU(N)→ SU(2) symmetry breaking in quantum antiferromagnets
Author(s):
  A.K. Kolezhuk (Institute of High Technologies, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ministry of Education and Science, 03022 Kyiv, Ukraine; Institute of Magnetism, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, 36-b Vernadskii Av., 03142 Kyiv, Ukraine),
  T.L. Zavertanyi (Institute of High Technologies, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ministry of Education and Science, 03022 Kyiv, Ukraine)

We study a SU(2)-symmetric spin-3/2 system on a bipartite lattice close to the antiferromagnetic SU(4)-symmetric point, which can be described by the CP3 model with a perturbation breaking the symmetry from SU(4) down to SU(2) and favoring the Néel ordering. We show that the effective theory of the perturbed model is not the usual O(3) nonlinear sigma model (NLSM), but rather the O(3) x O(2) NLSM. We show that in the presence of perturbation, the topological charge q of the CP3 field is connected to the O(3)-NLSM type topological charge of the spin texture Q (defined in a usual way via the unit Néel vector) by the relation q=3Q, thus under the influence of the perturbation unit-charge skyrmions of CP3 model bind into triplets. We also show that in the general spin-S case, symmetry breaking from SU(2S+1) to SU(2) results in the general relation 2S QO(3)=qCP2S between CP2S and O(3) charges, so one can expect 2S-multiplet binding of skyrmions.

Key words: frustrated magnets, skyrmions, cold gases in optical lattices


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