Ultrafast Control of Magnetic Correlations in a Heisenberg Spin Ladder

Abstract

We study the time-dependent response of a Heisenberg spin ladder subjected to a time-dependent square form variation of its rung spin exchange coupling. To do so, we employ a field theoretic representation of the Heisenberg spin ladder consisting of a singlet and a triplet of Majorana fermions. Because this underlying description is free fermionic, we are able to develop closed form analytic expressions for dynamical quantities, both one-body measures of local spin correlations as well as two-time correlation functions. These expressions involve both the gaps to triplet and singlet excitations. We analyze these expressions obtaining both the time scales for their transients and long-time athermal steady state behaviors. We show that variations in the rung coupling are directly tied to changes in the local antiferromagnetic correlations. We further discuss the application of these results to pump-probe experiments on material realizations of low-dimensional magnetic systems.