Scattering of spinon excitations by potentials in the 1D Heisenberg model

Abstract: By a semi-analytical Bethe ansatz method and a T-matrix approach we study the scattering of a spinon, the elementary quantum many-body topological excitation in the 1D Heisenberg model, by local and phonon potentials. In particular, we contrast the scattering of a spinon to that of a free spinless fermion in the XY model to highlight the effect of strong correlations. For the one spinon scattering in an odd-site chain, we find a regular behavior of the scattering coefficients. In contrast, in an even-site chain there is a transfer of transmission probability between the two spinon branches that grows exponentially with system size. We link the exponent of the exponential behavior to the dressed charge that characterizes the critical properties of the 1D Heisenberg model, an interplay of topological and critical properties. The aim of this study is a microscopic understanding of spinon scattering by impurities, barriers or phonons, modeled as prototype potentials, an input in the analysis of quantum spin transport experiments.