Ground-state properties of nanographite systems with zigzag-shaped edges

Abstract

A \pi-electron network in nanographite systems with zigzag edges exhibits strongly localized edge states, which are expected to have peculiar properties. We study effects of electron-electron interactions on ground-state properties of the systems by means of the weak-coupling renormalization group and the density-matrix renormalization-group method. It is shown that the ground state is a spin-singlet Mott insulator with finite charge and spin gaps. We also find that the edge states are robust against the electronic correlations, resulting in edge effective spins which can flip almost freely. The schematic picture for the low-energy physics of the systems is discussed.