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

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 lattice. 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 bipartite three-dimensional lattices, we show that simple generalizations of these wave functions can encode different ordering behaviors.

4+ pages, 5 figures. Updated version, to appear in Phys. Rev. Lett