Spectral function of transverse spin fluctuations in an antiferromagnet

Abstract

The spectral function of transverse spin fluctuations, including the contributions from both the single-particle and the collective (magnon) excitations in an antiferromagnet, is evaluated for the Hubbard model with NN and NNN hoppings in the full U-range from weak coupling to strong coupling. For the NN hopping model, the magnon excitations are dominant for U > 2.5 (d=2), so that an effective spin description of the AF state holds down to a surprisingly low U value. In the weak coupling limit the spectral function is suppressed at low energies, as if due to an effective gap. NNN hopping t' leads to magnon softening and also a significant increase in the low-energy spectral function due to single-particle excitations. Evolution of the magnon spectrum with t' is studied in the strong coupling limit, and the quantum spin- fluctuation correction to sublattice magnetization in d=2 and the Neel temperature in d=3 are also evaluated.