Confinement and Deconfinement of Spinons in Two Dimensions

We use Monte Carlo methods to study spinons in two-dimensional quantum spin systems, characterizing their intrinsic size $λ$ and confinement length $Λ$. We confirm that spinons are deconfined, $Λ\to \infty$ and $λ$ finite, in a resonating valence-bond spin-liquid state. In a valence-bond solid, we find finite $λ$ and $Λ$, with $λ$ of a single spinon significantly larger than the bound-state---the spinon is soft and shrinks as the bound state is formed. Both $λ$ and $Λ$ diverge upon approaching the critical point separating valence-bond solid and Néel ground states. We conclude that the spinon deconfinement is marginal in the lowest-energy state in the spin-1 sector, due to weak attractive spinon interactions. Deconfinement in the vicinity of the critical point should occur at higher energies.

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