# Ground State of the Quantum Symmetric Finite Size XXZ Spin Chain with Anisotropy Parameter Δ=1/2

## Abstract

We find an analytic solution of the Bethe Ansatz equations (BAE) for the special case of a finite XXZ spin chain with free boundary conditions and with a complex surface field which provides for $`U_q(sl(2))`$ symmetry of the Hamiltonian. More precisely, we find one nontrivial solution, corresponding to the ground state of the system with anisotropy parameter $`\mathrm{\Delta }=\frac{1}{2}`$ corresponding to $`q^3=1`$.

Dedicated to Rodney Baxter   
on the occasion of his 60th birhday.

It is widely accepted that the Bethe Ansatz equations for an integrable quantum spin chain can be solved analytically only in the thermodynamic limit or for a small number of spin waves or short chains. In this letter, however, we have managed to find a special solution of the BAE for a spin chain of arbitrary length N with N/2 spin waves.

It is well known (see, for example  and references therein) that there is a correspondence between the Q-state Potts Models and the Ice-Type Models with anisotropy parameter $`\mathrm{\Delta }=\frac{\sqrt{Q}}{2}`$. The coincidence in the spectrum of an N-site self-dual Q-state quantum Potts chain with free ends with a part of the spectrum of the $`U_q(sl(2))`$ symmetrical 2N-site XXZ Hamiltonian (1) is to some extent a manifestation of this correspondence.

$$H_{xxz}=\underset{n=1}{\overset{N1}{}}\{\sigma _n^+\sigma _{n+1}^{}+\sigma _n^{}\sigma _{n+1}^++\frac{q+q^1}{4}\sigma _n^z\sigma _{n+1}^z+\frac{qq^1}{4}(\sigma _n^z\sigma _{n+1}^z)\},$$
(1)   
where $`\mathrm{\Delta }=(q+q^1)/2`$. This Hamiltonian was considered by Alcaraz et al.  and its $`U_q(sl(2))`$ symmetry was described by Pasqier and Saleur . The family of commuting transfer-matrices that commute with $`H_{xxz}`$ was constructed by Sklyanin  incorporating a method of Cherednik .

Baxter’s T-Q equation for the case under consideration can be written as 

$$t(u)Q(u)=\varphi (u+\eta /2)Q(u\eta )+\varphi (u\eta /2)Q(u+\eta )$$
(2)   
where $`q=\mathrm{exp}i\eta `$, $`\varphi (u)=\mathrm{sin}2u\mathrm{sin}^{2N}u`$ and $`t(u)=\mathrm{sin}2uT(u)`$. The $`Q(u)`$ are eigenvalues of Baxter’s auxilary matrix $`\widehat{Q}(u)`$, where $`\widehat{Q}(u)`$ commutes with the transfer matrix $`\widehat{T}(u)`$. The eigenvalue $`Q(u)`$ corresponding to an eigenvector with $`M=N/2S_z`$ reversed spins has the form

$$Q(u)=\underset{m=1}{\overset{M}{}}\mathrm{sin}(uu_m)\mathrm{sin}(u+u_m).$$

Equation (2) is equivalent to the Bethe Ansatz equations 

$$\left[\frac{\mathrm{sin}(u_k+\eta /2)}{\mathrm{sin}(u_k\eta /2)}\right]^{2N}=\underset{mk}{\overset{M}{}}\frac{\mathrm{sin}(u_ku_m+\eta )\mathrm{sin}(u_k+u_m+\eta )}{\mathrm{sin}(u_ku_m\eta )\mathrm{sin}(u_k+u_m\eta )}.$$
(3)   
In a recent article  it was argued that the criteria for the above mentioned correspondence is the existence of a second trigonometric solution for Baxter’s T-Q equation and it was shown that in the case $`\eta =\pi /4`$ the spectrum of $`H_{xxz}`$ contains the spectrum of the Ising model. In this article we limit ourselves to the case $`\eta =\pi /3`$. This case is in some sense trivial since for this value of $`\eta `$, $`H_{xxz}`$ corresponds to the 1-state Potts Model. We find only one eigenvalue $`T_0(u)`$ of the transfer-matrices $`\widehat{T}(u)`$ when Baxter’s equation (2) has two independent trigonometric solutions. Solving for $`T(u)=T_0(u)`$ analytically we find a trigonometric polynomial $`Q_0(u)`$ the zeros of which satisfy the Bethe Ansatz equations (3). The number of spin waves is equal to $`M=N/2`$. The corresponding eigenstate is the groundstate of $`H_{xxz}`$ with eigenvalue $`E_0=\frac{3}{2}(1N)`$, as discovered by Alcaraz et al.  numerically.

When does a second independent periodic solution exist? This question was considered in article . Here we use a variation more convenient for our goal.

Let us consider T-Q equation (2) for $`\eta =\frac{\pi }{L}`$, where $`L3`$ is an integer. Let us fix a sequence of spectral parameter values $`v_k=v_0+\eta k`$, where k are integers and write $`\varphi _k=\varphi (v_k\eta /2)`$, $`Q_k=Q(v_k)`$ and $`t_k=t(v_k)`$. The functions $`\varphi (u)`$, $`Q(u)`$ and $`t(u)`$ are periodic with period $`\pi `$. So the sequences we have introduced are also periodic with period $`L`$, i.e., $`\varphi _{k+L}=\varphi _k`$, etc..

Setting $`u=v_k`$ in (2) gives the linear system

$$t_kQ_k=\varphi _{k+1}Q_{k1}+\varphi _kQ_{k+1}.$$
(4)   
The matrix of coefficients for this system has a tridiagonal form. Taking $`v_0\frac{\pi m}{2}`$, where $`m`$ is an integer, we have $`\varphi _k0`$ for all $`k`$.

It is straightforward to calculate the determinant of the $`L2\times L2`$ minor obtained by deleting the two left most columns and two lower most rows. It is equal to the product $`\varphi _1^2\varphi _2\varphi _3\mathrm{}\varphi _{L1}`$, which is nonzero, hence the rank of $`M`$ cannot be less than $`L2`$. Here we are interested in the case when the rank of M is precisely $`L2`$ and we have two linearly independent solutions for equation (4). Let us consider the three simplest cases L = 3, 4 and 5. The parameter $`\eta `$ is equal to $`\frac{\pi }{3}`$, $`\frac{\pi }{4}`$ and $`\frac{\pi }{5}`$ respectively.

For $`L=3`$ the rank of $`M`$ is unity and we immediately get $`t_0=\varphi _2,t_1=\varphi _0`$ and $`t_2=\varphi _1`$. Returning to the functional form, we can write

$$T_0(u)=t_0(u)/\mathrm{sin}2u=\varphi (u+\pi /2)/\mathrm{sin}2u=\mathrm{cos}^{2N}u.$$
(5)   
This is the unique eigenvalue of the transfer-matrix for which the T-Q equation has two independent periodic solutions. It is well known (see, for example, ) that the eigenvalues of $`H_{xxz}`$ are related to the eigenvalues $`t(u)`$ by

$$E=\mathrm{cos}\eta (N+2\mathrm{tan}^2\eta )+\mathrm{sin}\eta \frac{t^{}(\eta /2)}{t(\eta /2)}.$$

For the eigenstate corresponding to eigenvalue (5) we obtain $`E_0=3/2(1N)`$. This is the groundstate energy which was discovered by Alcaraz et al.  numerically.

Below we find all solutions of Baxter‘s T-Q equation corresponding to $`T(u)=T_0(u)`$. Zeros of these solutions satisfy the BAE (3). In particular we find $`Q_0(x)`$ corresponding to physical Bethe state.

For $`L=4`$, deleting the second row and the forth column of $`M`$ we obtain a minor with determinant $`\varphi _0\varphi _3(t_0+t_2)`$. It is zero when $`t_2=t_0`$, i.e., $`t(u+\frac{\pi }{2})=t(u)`$. Considering the other minors we obtain the functional equation

$$t(u+\pi /8)t(u\pi /8)=\varphi (u+\pi /4)\varphi (u\pi /4)\varphi (u)\varphi (u+\pi /2).$$

This functional equation was used in  to find $`t(u)`$ and show that this part of the spectrum of $`H_{xxz}`$ coincides with the Ising model. It would be interesting to find a corresponding $`Q(u)`$.

Lastly for $`L=5`$, minor $`M_{35}`$ (the third row and the fifth column are deleted) has determinant $`\varphi _0\varphi _4(t_0t_1+\varphi _1t_3\varphi _0\varphi _2)`$. Setting this to zero we have

$$t(u)t(u+\pi /5)+\varphi (u+\pi /10)t(u+3\pi /5)\varphi (u\pi /10)\varphi (u+3\pi /10)=0.$$

It is not difficult to check that in this case all $`4\times 4`$ minors have zero determinant and that the rank of M is 3. Thus we have two independent periodic solutions of Baxter’s T-Q equation.

Note that this functional relation coincides with the Baxter-Pearce relation for the hard hexagon model . We have obtained the same truncated functional relations that have been obtained in  with the same assumptions.

We now consider the solution of Baxter’s Equation for $`\eta =\frac{\pi }{3}`$ and $`T=T_0`$. For $`\eta =\frac{\pi }{3}`$ and transfer-matrix eigenvalue $`T_0(u)=\mathrm{cos}^{2N}u`$, the T-Q equation (2) reduces to

$$\varphi (u+3\eta /2)Q(u)+\varphi (u\eta /2)Q(u+\eta )+\varphi (u+\eta /2)Q(u\eta )=0.$$
(6)   
This equation can be rewritten as

$$f(v)+f(v+2\pi /3)+f(v+4\pi /3)=0,$$
(7)   
where $`f(v)=\mathrm{sin}v\mathrm{cos}^{2N}(v/2)Q(v/2)`$ has period $`2\pi `$. The trigonometric polynomial $`f(v)`$ is an odd function, so it can be written

$$f(v)=\underset{k=1}{\overset{K}{}}c_k\mathrm{sin}kv,$$
(8)   
where $`K`$ is the degree of $`f(v)`$. Then equation (7) is equivalent to $`c_{3m}=0,mZ`$.

The condition that $`f(v)`$ be divisible by $`\mathrm{sin}v\mathrm{cos}^{2N}(v/2)`$ is equivalent to

$$(\frac{d}{dv})^if(v)|_{v=\pi }=0,i=0,1,\mathrm{},2N.$$

For even $`i`$ this condition is immediate, whereas for $`i=2j1`$ we use (8) to obtain

$$\underset{k=1,k3m}{\overset{K}{}}(1)^kc_kk^{2j1}=0,j=1,2,\mathrm{},N.$$
(9)   
Our problem is thus to find $`\{c_k\}`$ satisfying the last equation. This problem is a special case of a more general problem which can be formulated as follows. Given a set of different complex numbers $`X=\{x_1,x_2,\mathrm{},x_I\}`$ we seek another complex set $`B=\{\beta _1,\beta _2,\mathrm{},\beta _I\}`$ where $`\beta _i0`$ for some $`i`$, so that

$$\underset{i=1}{\overset{I}{}}\beta _iP(x_i)=0$$
(10)   
for any polynomial $`P(x)`$ of degree not more than $`N1`$. It is clear that for $`IN`$ the system $`B`$ does not exist. If $`\beta _10`$, for example, the product $`(xx_2)(xx_3)\mathrm{}(xx_I)`$ provides a counterexample.

Let $`I=N+1`$. We try the polynomials

$$P_r=\underset{i=1,ir,}{\overset{N}{}}(xx_i),r=1,2,\mathrm{},N.$$
(11)   
Condition (10) gives $`\beta _rP_r(x_r)+\beta _IP_r(x_I)=0`$ and we immediately obtain

$$\beta _r=\text{const}\underset{i=1,ir}{\overset{N+1}{}}(x_rx_i)^1,$$
(12)   
which is a solution because the system (11) forms a basis of the linear space of $`N1`$ degree polynomials. So for $`I=N+1`$ we have a unique solution (up to an arbitrary nonzero constant) given by (12). It is easy to show that for $`I=N+\nu `$ we obtain a $`\nu `$-dimensional linear space of solutions.

Returning to (9) we consider $`N=2n`$, $`n`$ a positive integer. Fix $`I=N+1=2n+1`$. The degree $`K`$ becomes $`3n+1`$. It is convenient to use a new index $`k=|3\kappa +1|`$ , where $`|\kappa |n`$. Equation (9) can be rewritten as

$$\underset{\kappa =n}{\overset{n}{}}\beta _\kappa (3\kappa +1)^{2(j1)}=0,j=1,2,\mathrm{},N,$$

where we use new unknowns $`\beta _\kappa =(1)^\kappa c_{|3\kappa +1|}|3\kappa +1|`$ instead of $`c_k`$. Using (12) and (8) we obtain the function $`f(v)`$

$$f(v)=\underset{\kappa =n}{\overset{n}{}}(1)^\kappa \left(\begin{array}{c}2n+\frac{2}{3}\\ n\kappa \end{array}\right)\left(\begin{array}{c}2n\frac{2}{3}\\ n+\kappa \end{array}\right)\mathrm{sin}(3\kappa +1)v.$$
(13)   
We recall that the solution of Baxter’s T-Q equation for $`T(u)=T_0(u)`$ is given by

$$Q_0(u)=f(2u)/(\mathrm{sin}2u\mathrm{cos}^{2N}u)$$
(14)   
and its zeros $`\{u_k\}`$ satisfy the BAE (3).

Another way to derive the above solution is to observe that the function $`f(v)`$ satisfies a simple second order linear differential equation. Indeed, it is easily seen that the functions $`F^+(x)`$ and $`F^{}(x)`$, where

$$F^+(x)=\underset{\kappa =n}{\overset{n}{}}(1)^\kappa \left(\begin{array}{c}2n+\frac{2}{3}\\ n\kappa \end{array}\right)\left(\begin{array}{c}2n\frac{2}{3}\\ n+\kappa \end{array}\right)x^{\kappa +\frac{1}{3}}\text{ and }F^{}(x)=F^+(1/x).$$
(15)   
are the two linearly independent solutions of the differential equation

$$\{((\theta +n)^21/9)/x+(\theta n)^21/9\}F^+=0,$$
(16)   
where $`\theta =x\frac{d}{dx}`$.<sup>1</sup><sup>1</sup>1Up to a change of variables this is just the standard hypergeometric differential equation, and in fact $`F^+(x)=\text{const }F(2n,2/32n,5/3,x)x^{1/3n}`$  Now the fact that there is a combination $`f(v)`$ of $`F^+(e^{3iv})`$ and $`F^{}(e^{3iv})`$ which vanishes to order $`2N+1`$ at $`v=\pi `$ follows immediately from the fact that $`x=1`$ is a singular point of the differential equation (16) and that the indicial equation at this point has roots 0 and $`2n+1`$. In terms of the variable $`v`$, equation (16) becomes

$$\frac{d^2f}{dv^2}+6n\mathrm{tan}(3v/2)\frac{df}{dv}+(19n^2)f=0.$$
(17)   
The zeros of $`f(v)`$, the density of which is important in the thermodynamic limit, are located on the imaginary axis in the complex $`v`$-plane. So it is convenient to make the change of variable $`v=is`$. It is also useful to introduce another function $`g(s)=f(is)/\mathrm{cosh}^{2n}(3s/2)`$. The differential equation for $`g(s)`$ is then

$$g^{\prime \prime }+\left(\frac{9n(2n+1)}{2\mathrm{cosh}^2(3s/2)}1\right)g=0.$$
(18)   
Let $`g(s_0)=0`$. For large $`n`$ we have in a small vicinity of $`s_0`$ an approximate equation $`g^{\prime \prime }+\omega _0^2g=0`$. This equation describes a harmonic oscillator with frequency $`\omega _0=3n/\mathrm{cosh}(3s_0/2)`$. The distance between nearest zeros is approximately $`\mathrm{\Delta }s=\pi /\omega `$ and we obtain the following density function which describes the number of zeros per unit length

$$\rho (s)=1/\mathrm{\Delta }s=\omega /\pi =3n/(\pi \mathrm{cosh}(3s/2)).$$
(19)   
We note that equation (18) has a history as rich as the BAE. Eckart  used the Schrodinger equation with bell-shaped potential $`V(r)=G/\mathrm{cosh}^2r`$ for phenomenological studies in atomic and molecular physics. Later it was used in chemistry, biophysics and astrophysics, just to name a few. For more recent references see, for example, .

We are grateful to V. Bazhanov, A. Belavin, L. Faddeev and G. Pronko for useful discussions. We would like to thank M. Kashiwara and T. Miwa for their kind hospitality in RIMS. This work is supported in part by RBRF–98–01–00070, INTAS–96–690 (Yu. S.). V. F. is supported by a JSPS fellowship.