We have developed strong-coupling series expansion methods to study the two-particle spectra in quantum lattice models. The properties of bound states and multiparticle excitations can reveal important information about the dynamics of a given model. At the heart of this method lies the calculation of an effective Hamiltonian in the two-particle subspace. We use an orthogonal transformation to perform this block diagonalising, and find that maintaining orthogonality is crucial for cases where the ground state and the two-particle subspace have identical quantum numbers. The two-particle Schrödinger equation is solved by using a finite lattice approach in coordinate space or an integral equation in momentum space. These methods allow us to determine precisely the low-lying excitation spectra and dispersion relations for the two-particle bound states. The method has been tested for the (1+1) D transverse Ising model, and applied to the two-leg spin-1/2 Heisenberg ladder. We study the coherence lengths of the bound states, and how they merge with the two-particle continuum. Finally, these techniques are applied to the frustrated alternating Heisenberg chain, which has been of considerable recent interest due to its relevance to spin-Peierls systems such as CuGeO 3. Starting from a limit corresponding to weakly-coupled dimers, we develop high-order series expansions for the effective Hamiltonian in the two-particle subspace. In the regime of strong dimerisation, various properties of the singlet and triplet bound states, and the quintet antibound states, can be accurately calculated. We also study the behaviour as the external bond alternation vanishes, and the way in which the bound states of triplet dimer excitations make the transition to a soliton-antisoliton continuum.
Semi-classical analysis of the string theory cigar
