Bulk and boundary S-matrices for the SU(N) chain Original Research Article

We consider both closed and open integrable antiferromagnetic chains constructed with the SU(N)-invariant R-matrix. For the closed chain, we extend the analyses of Sutherland and Kulish — Reshetikhin by considering also complex “string” solutions of the Bethe ansatz equations. Such solutions are essential to describe general multiparticle excited states. We also explicitly determine the SU(N) quantum numbers of the states. In particular, the model has particle-like excitations in the fundamental representations [k] of SU(N), with k = 1, …, N − 1. We directly compute the complete two-particle S-matrices for the cases [1] ⊗ [1] and [1] ⊗ [N − 1 ]. For the open chain with diagonal boundary fields, we show that the transfer matrix has the symmetry SU(l) × SU(N−l) × U(1), as well as a new “duality” symmetry which maps l→N−l. With the help of these symmetries, we compute by means of the Bethe ansatz for particles of types [1] and [N − 1 ] the corresponding boundary S-matrices.