Spectral properties of the square-lattice antiferromagnetic J1-J2 Heisenberg model: confinement and deconfinement of spinons

Abstract

Based on the mapping between $s=1/2$ spin operators and hard-core bosons, we extend the cluster perturbation theory to spin systems and study the whole excitation spectrum of the antiferromagnetic $J_{1}$-$J_{2}$ Heisenberg model on the square lattice. In the N\'eel phase for $J_{2}\lesssim0.4J_{1}$, in addition to the dominant magnon excitation, there is an obvious continuum close to $(\pi,0)$ in the Brillouin zone indicating the deconfined spin-1/2 spinon excitations. In the stripe phase for $J_{2}\gtrsim0.6J_{1}$, we find similar high-energy two-spinon continuums at $(\pi/2,\pi/2)$ and $(\pi/2,\pi)$, respectively. The intermediate phase is characterized by a spectrum with completely deconfined broad continuum, which is attributed to a $Z_{2}$ quantum spin liquid with the aid of a variational-Monte-Carlo analysis.