5 - Quantum Rotor Models: Large-N Limit

Summary

This chapter turns to the models obtained by the quantum–classical mapping QC on the D-dimensional, N-component, classical ferromagnets in (3.3) with N ≥ 2. These are the O(N) quantum rotor models in d = D − 1 dimensions, originally written down in (1.23).

The quantum Ising model studied previously had a discrete Z₂ symmetry. An important new ingredient in the rotor models will be the presence of a continuous symmetry: The physics is invariant under a uniform, global O(N) transformation on the orientation of the rotors, which is broken in the magnetically ordered state. We will introduce the important concept of the spin stiffness, which characterizes the rigidity of the ordered state and determines the dispersion spectrum of the low energy “spin-wave” excitations. Apart from this, much of the technology and the physical ideas introduced earlier for the d = 1 Ising chain will generalize straightforwardly, although we will no longer be able to obtain exact results for crossover functions. The characterization of the physics in terms of three regions separated by smooth crossovers, the high-T and the two low-T regions on either side of the quantum critical point, will continue to be extremely useful and will again be the basis of our discussion. Because we will consider models in spatial dimensions d > 1, it will be possible to have a thermodynamic phase transition at a nonzero temperature. We shall be particularly interested in the interplay between the critical singularities of the finite-temperature transition and those of the quantum critical point.