On the uniqueness of translation-invariant ground states of the $S=1$ Heisenberg and $J$--$D$ antiferromagnetic chains

Abstract

Using the analytic machinery and numerical inputs of OpenAI's proofs of the Haldane gap, we prove uniqueness of the translation-invariant ground state of the infinite $S=1$ Heisenberg antiferromagnetic chain and of the $J$-$D$ model for sufficiently small $|D|$. Uniqueness is among all translation-invariant ground states in the operator-algebraic sense, without assuming a gap or spin-rotation symmetry for a competing state. The proof combines concentration of the spatial transfer spectrum, an exponentially small low-temperature free-energy correction, and a Golden--Thompson comparison for separated local observables. The unique translation-invariant state is pure, locally unique and gapped, and continuous in $D$. The ground states of even periodic chains and odd open chains with equal positive endpoint fields converge to this state along their full sequences, uniformly in $D$, with a stretched-exponential local rate. Every choice of ground states of open chains without endpoint magnetic fields has the same local limit. These conclusions do not establish uniqueness among arbitrary nontranslation-invariant ground states of the infinite chain. The author formulated the problems and proposed the core strategies. ChatGPT Astra made substantial contributions to developing the proofs and preparing the manuscript.