J_1-J_2 frustrated two-dimensional Heisenberg model: Random phase approximation and functional renormalization group

Abstract

We study the ground state properties of the two-dimensional spin-1/2 J_1-J_2-Heisenberg model on a square lattice, within diagrammatic approximations using an auxiliary fermion formulation with exact projection. In a first approximation we assume a phenomenological width of the pseudofermion spectral function to calculate the magnetization, susceptibilities and the spin correlation length within RPA, demonstrating the appearance of a paramagnetic phase between the Neel ordered and Collinear ordered phases, at sufficiently large pseudo fermion damping. Secondly we use a Functional Renormalization Group formulation. We find that the conventional truncation scheme omitting three-particle and higher order vertices is not sufficient. We therefore include self-energy renormalizations in the single-scale propagator as recently proposed by Katanin, to preserve Ward identities in a better way. We find Neel order at g = J_2/J_1 < 0.4 ... 0.45 and Collinear order at g > 0.66 ... 0.68, which is in good agreement with results obtained by numerical studies. In the intervening quantum paramagnetic phase we find enhanced columnar dimer and plaquette fluctuations of equal strength.