436 Ch.

8 Ferromagnetism in Hubbaxd Models

U j=1

Relegating the details of the derivation to the solution to Problem 8.2

(see p. 488), we quote and discuss the results. Let us take N = 2 elec-
trons. Gauge symmetry allows to fix t~ > 0; then it follows from the
Nagaoka theorem that the U = U3 = 00 ground state is ferromagnetic
(namely, a triplet) if t 2 > 0. In the special case when 3-13 possesses
the full symmetry of an equilateral triangle (U = U3, t l = t 2 , €3 = 0),
the single-electron gound state is degenerate, and the ground state is
a triplet for any U > 0. We recognize that this is a case of flat-band
ferromagnetism, and as such, not particularly interesting. Reducing the
symmetry of the one-electron problem to a mere mirror symmetry, the
U = U3 = 0 two-electron ground state is unambiguously a singlet, while
in the Nagaoka limit, it is a triplet, thus a transition to the ferromag-
netic state must set in at a finite U . The results shown in Fig. 8.19
demonstrate that ferromagnetism is a non-perturbative, intermediate-
coupling phenomenon, taking place in a wide range of the parameters
t 2 / t l > 0, and ~ 3 / t 1 .It has been argued-[393] that the mechanism of
this toy version of the low-spin-high-spin transition is quite like to what
happens in Tasaki’s linear chain model16.
Applying the ideas of [323] to the toy model, we gain valuable insight
into the driving force of the transition by studying the limit where €3
is large compared to tl and t z . Let furthermore U >> € 3 , and we may
take U3 -+ 00. Then we can expand the exhange coupling in terms of
the small quantities l / and ~ 1/U.
The low-energy configurations have one electron at each of the base
sites, and the effective Hamiltonian can be expressed by the spins S1
and S2. To get the exchange coupling, let us start from 1 -t-J 0) =
. sequence of three hopping events shown in Fig. 8.7 effects
c ~ , c ~ , l O )The
the exchange of the two spins. The matrix elements are t l , t 2 , and t l ,
and the two intermediate states have the excitation energy € 3 . The

“You may be worried about this point because we argued elsewhere that a small
system cannot have a symmetry-breaking transition. However, the total spin as an
order parameter has a special status, thus we can use the lessons drawn from studying
the toy model with confidence. More about this point in Sec. 6.1.1.