Coexistence of long-range and algebraic correlations for short-range valence-bond wave functions in three dimensions

Phys Rev Lett. 2012 Oct 5;109(14):147204. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.147204. Epub 2012 Oct 4.

Abstract

We investigate nearest-neighbor valence-bond wave functions on bipartite three-dimensional lattices. By performing large-scale Monte Carlo simulations, we find that long-range magnetic order coexists with dipolar four-spin correlations on the cubic lattice, this latter feature being reminiscent of the Coulomb phase for classical dimers on the same geometry. Similar properties are found for the lower-coordination diamond lattice. While this suggests that the coexistence of magnetic order and dipolar four-spin correlations is generic for such states on bipartite three-dimensional lattices, we show that simple generalizations of these wave functions can encode different ordering behaviors.