Thermodynamics of the t-J ladder:: A stable finite-temperature density matrix renormalization group calculation

Accurate numerical simulations of a doped t-J model on a two-leg ladder are presented for the particle number, chemical potential, magnetic susceptibility, and entropy in the limit of large exchange coupling on the rung using a finite-temperature density matrix renormalization group method. This required an improved algorithm to achieve numerical stability down to low temperatures. The thermal dissociation of hole pairs and of the rung singlets are separately observed, and the evolution of the hole pair binding energy and magnon spin gap with hole doping is determined.