First order in the plaquette expansion

Abstract

The plaquette expansion, a general non-perturbative method for calculating the properties of lattice Hamiltonian systems, is analytically investigated at the first non-trivial order for an arbitrary system. At this level the approximation describes systems with either a bounded or an unbounded spectrum, depending on simple inequalities formed from the first four cumulants. The analysis yields analytic forms for the ground state energy, mass gaps and density of states in the thermodynamic limit. An exact form for the resolvent oeprator is given for a finite number of sites, as well as the asymptotic form in the thermodynamic limit. © 1995, Springer-Verlag. All rights reserved.