A Renormalization Group Study of a Quantum Phase Transition in Coupled Spin Chains

Samuel Moukouri

Department of Physics, University of Michigan

We use a recently proposed perturbative numerical renormalization-group algorithm to explore the connection between quantum criticality and the emergence of Luttinger liquid physics in t-J chains coupled by frustrated interactions. At Half-filling finite size analysis of coupled Heisenberg chains in the vicinity of the maximally frustrated point where the quantum phase transition occurs shows that the transverse spin-spin correlations decay exponentially while the longitudinal ones revert to those of decoupled chains. We find that this behavior persists upon moderate hole doping. For larger doping, the frustration becomes inactive and the quantum critical point is suppressed.