Effective interactions due to quantum fluctuations (Q1961078)

Quantum lattice models defined by Hamiltonians consisting of a classical part (diagonal in occupation numbers) perturbed by a small quantum (off-diagonal, hopping) term are considered at low temperature. Typical examples are the asymmetric Hubbard model and certain Bose-Hubbard models, of which the former has, while the latter do not have, residual entropy. The classical part may have an infinite number of ground configuration and is required to possess an energy gap to their excitations. Conditions are given under which the main effect of the quantum part can be described by a classical interaction, explicitly defined in terms of (lowest order sequences of) quantum transitions, and consists in the stabilization of a finite subset of ground configuration. The latter conditions are essentially (i) a Peierls condition on the classical model with the effective potential added; (ii) a bound on the effect of quantum transitions not included in the effective potential; (iii) a bound on the transitions connecting different ground configuartions. The main result, obtained by a generalized Peierls argument, is that the low-temperature phase diagram of the full quantum model is a small deformation of the zero temperature phase diagram of the classical effective model.