Thermal Tensor Network Approach for Spin-Lattice Relaxation in Quantum Magnets

Abstract

Low-dimensional quantum magnets, particularly those with strong spin frustration, are characterized by their notable spin fluctuations. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) serves as a sensitive probe of low-energy fluctuations that offers valuable insight into rich magnetic phases and emergent phenomena in quantum magnets. Although experimentally accessible, the numerical simulation of NMR relaxation rates, specifically the spin-lattice relaxation rate $1/T_1$, remains a significant challenge. Analytical continuation based on Monte Carlo calculations are hampered by the notorious negative sign for frustrated systems, and the real-time simulations incur significant costs to capture low-energy fluctuations. Here we propose computing the relaxation rate using thermal tensor networks (TTNs), which provides a streamlined approach by calculating its imaginary-time proxy. We showcase the accuracy and versatility of our methodology by applying it to one-dimensional spin chains and two-dimensional lattices, where we find that the critical exponents $\eta$ and $z\nu$ can be extracted from the low-temperature scalings of the simulated $1/T_1$ near quantum critical points. Our results also provide insights into the low-dimensional and frustrated magnetic materials, elucidating universal scaling behaviors in the Ising chain compound CoNb$_2$O$_6$ and revealing the renormalized classical behaviors in the triangular-lattice antiferromagnet Ba$_8$CoNb$_6$O$_{24}$. We apply the approach to effective model of the family of frustrated magnets AYbCh$_2$ (A = Na, K, Cs, and Ch = O, S, Se), and find dramatic changes from spin ordered to the proposed quantum spin liquid phase. Overall, with high reliability and accuracy, the TTN methodology offers a systematic strategy for studying the intricate dynamics observed across a broad spectrum of quantum magnets and related fields.