Theory of Raman Scattering in One-Dimensional Quantum Spin-1/2 Antiferromagnets

We study theoretically the Raman scattering spectra in the one-dimensional (1D) quantum spin-1/2 antiferromagnets. The analysis reveals that their low-energy dynamics is exquisitely sensitive to various perturbations to the Heisenberg chain with nearest-neighbor exchange interactions, such as magnetic anisotropy, longer-range exchange interactions, and bond dimerization. These weak interactions are mainly responsible for the Raman scattering and give rise to different types of spectra as functions of frequency, temperature, and external field. In contrast to the Raman spectra in higher dimensions in which the two-magnon process is dominant, those in 1D antiferromagnets provide much richer information on these perturbations.