Spin gap antiferromagnets: materials and phenomena

Abstract

There are several interacting spin systems which have a gap in their spin excitation spectrum. The gap does not occur due to anisotropies present in the system but is quantum mechanical in origin. We give a brief overview on the different types of spin gap (SG) antiferromagnets, the models proposed to describe their physical properties and experimental realizations of such systems. Our special focus is on exactly-solvable models and rigorous theories which provide the correct physical picture for the novel phenomena exhibited by SG systems