GENERALIZED FLUX STATES OF THE T-J MODEL

We investigate certain generalized flux phases arising in a mean-field approach to the t-J model. First, we establish that the energy of noninteracting electrons moving in a uniform magnetic field has an absolute minimum as a function of the flux at exactly one flux quantum per particle. Using this result, we show that if the hard-core nature of the hole bosons is taken into account, then the slave-boson mean-field approximation for the t-J Hamiltonian allows for a solution where both the spinons and the holons experience an average flux of one flux quantum per particle. This enables them to achieve the lowest possible energy within the manifold of spatially uniform flux states. In the case of the continuum model, this is possible only for certain fractional fillings and we speculate that the system may react to this frustration effect by phase separation. © 1990 The American Physical Society.