Resilience of hidden order to symmetry-preserving disorder

Abstract

We study the robustness of non-local string order in two paradigmatic disordered spin-chain models, a spin-1/2 cluster-Ising and a spin-1 XXZ Heisenberg chain. In the clean case, they both display a transition from antiferromagnetic to string order. Applying a disorder which preserves the Hamiltonian symmetries, we find that the transition persists in both models. In the disordered cluster-Ising model we can study the transition analytically -- by applying the strongest coupling renormalization group -- and numerically -- by exploiting integrability to study the antiferromagnetic and string order parameters. We map the model into a quadratic fermion chain, where the transition appears as a change in the number of zero-energy edge modes. We also explore its zero-temperature-singularity behavior and find a transition from a non-singular to a singular region, at a point that is different from the one separating non-local and local ordering.} The disordered Heisenberg chain can be treated only numerically: by means of MPS-based simulations, we are able to locate the existence of a transition between antiferromagnetic and string-ordered phase, through the study of order parameters. Finally we discuss possible connections of our findings with many body localization.

17 pages, 16 figures, version published in PRB

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• The density-matrix renormalization group in the age of matrix product states
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Cited by in corpus (1)

• Kitaev ring threaded by a magnetic flux: Topological gap, Anderson localization of quasiparticles, and divergence of supercurrent derivative