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arXiv:2602.06387 · Physical review. B./Physical review. B

Fermionic approach to elementary excitations and magnetization plateaus in an S = 1 / 2 XX hybrid trimer-dimer chain

K. S. Chikara, Anup Kumar Bera, A. Kumar, Seikh Mohammad Yusuf

Published Jan 7, 2026• 0 citations
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Abstract

We study the elementary excitations and magnetization of a one-dimensional spin-1/2 XX chain comprising trimer-dimer units (the J1-J1-J2-J3-J2 topology) under a transverse magnetic field h. Using Green's function theory and the Jordan-Wigner transformation, we map the system onto spinless fermions and focus on antiferromagnetic (AFM) interactions. At zero temperature, distinct 1/5 and 3/5 magnetization plateaus emerge, determined by the global periodicity Q=5, with the number of plateaus matching the number of excitation gaps above the Fermi level of the spinless fermions. The magnetic phase diagram in the (h-Js) plane features a Luttinger liquid (LL) state, a gapless AFM state, two magnetization plateau states, and a fully polarized gapped magnetic state. The widths of the LL and gapless AFM phases are found to be proportional to the bandwidths gamma = |E(k=0)-E(k=pi)| of the corresponding elementary excitations, whereas the widths of the magnetization plateau states are governed by the excitation gaps. Our study opens new directions for exploring interacting trimer-dimer spin chains in quantum magnetism using experimental techniques such as neutron scattering, as well as theoretical and numerical approaches including quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) and density-matrix renormalization group (DMRG) methods. Furthermore, we extend the Oshikawa-Yamanaka-Affleck (OYA) condition to generalized cluster chains, demonstrating that the allowed magnetization plateaus are governed by the global periodicity of the chain (e.g., Q=5 for a trimer-dimer chain), rather than by the local periodicity of individual units (Q=3 for a trimer or Q=2 for a dimer).

DOI
10.1103/6j4z-3qbx

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We study the elementary excitations and magnetization of a one-dimensional spin-1/2 XX chain comprising trimer-dimer units (the J1-J1-J2-J3-J2 topology) under a transverse magnetic field h. Using Green's function theory and the Jordan-Wigner transformation, we map the system onto spinless fermions and focus on antiferromagnetic (AFM) interactions. At zero temperature, distinct 1/5 and 3/5 magnetization plateaus emerge, determined by the global periodicity Q=5, with the number of plateaus matching the number of excitation gaps above the Fermi level of the spinless fermions. The magnetic phase diagram in the (h-Js) plane features a Luttinger liquid (LL) state, a gapless AFM state, two magnetization plateau states, and a fully polarized gapped magnetic state. The widths of the LL and gapless AFM phases are found to be proportional to the bandwidths gamma = |E(k=0)-E(k=pi)| of the corresponding elementary excitations, whereas the widths of the magnetization plateau states are governed by the excitation gaps. Our study opens new directions for exploring interacting trimer-dimer spin chains in quantum magnetism using experimental techniques such as neutron scattering, as well as theoretical and numerical approaches including quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) and density-matrix renormalization group (DMRG) methods. Furthermore, we extend the Oshikawa-Yamanaka-Affleck (OYA) condition to generalized cluster chains, demonstrating that the allowed magnetization plateaus are governed by the global periodicity of the chain (e.g., Q=5 for a trimer-dimer chain), rather than by the local periodicity of individual units (Q=3 for a trimer or Q=2 for a dimer).
The magnetization process and elementary excitation spectra of the spin-1/2 trimerized quantum Heisenberg chain are investigated by means of Green's function theory combined with Jordan-Wigner transformation. At zero temperature, a 1/3 magnetization plateau of the system is observed. Meanwhile, we obtain the ground state phase diagram, in which the Luttinger liquid phase, the magnetization plateau state, the gapless phase and the ferromagnetic state are revealed. At finite temperatures, the magnetization behaves differently, implying the system lies in different states under different magnetic fields. It is shown that the elementary excitation spectra can unpuzzle the magnetization process. It is also found that the energy gap in the spectra is responsible for the observed 1/3 magnetization plateau.
The density matrix renormalization group and quantum Monte Carlo methods are used to describe coupled trimer chains in a magnetic field hhh. The Hamiltonian contains exchange terms involving the intratrimer coupling J1{J}_{1}J1​ (taken as the unit of energy) and the intertrimer coupling J2{J}_{2}J2​, plus the Zeeman interaction for a magnetic field hhh along the zzz direction. Results for the magnetization per trimer mmm are calculated in regimes of positive and negative values of the ratio J=J2/J1J={J}_{2}/{J}_{1}J=J2​/J1​, from which the rich field-induced ground state phase diagram hhh versus JJJ is derived, with the presence of a Luttinger liquid, the 1/3 plateau (m=1/2m=1/2m=1/2), and the one of fully polarized magnetization (m=3/2m=3/2m=3/2). Also, zero-field Lanczos calculation of the spin-wave dispersion from the 1/3 plateau for Sz=1{S}^{z}=1Sz=1 is shown at the previous regimes of JJJ values. In addition, we also report on the decay of correlation functions of trimers along open chains, as well as the average two-magnon distribution. The ground state is ferrimagnetic for $0<J\ensuremath{\le}1$, and is a singlet for $\ensuremath{-}1\ensuremath{\le}J<0$. In the singlet phase, the spin correlation functions along the legs present an antiferromagnetic power-law decay, similar to the spin-1/2 linear chain, thus suggesting that the ground state is made of three coupled antiferromagnetically oriented chains. In the singlet phase, the dimensionless thermal magnetic susceptibility per site normalized by 1/∣J∣1/|J|1/∣J∣ gets closer to $1/{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{2}$ as the temperature $T\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0$. For the ferrimagnetic phase, we fit the susceptibility to the experimental data for the compound Pb3Cu3(PO4)4{\mathrm{Pb}}_{3}{\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}{({\mathrm{PO}}_{4})}_{4}Pb3​Cu3​(PO4​)4​ and estimate the model exchange couplings: J1=74.8K{J}_{1}=74.8\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}\text{K}J1​=74.8K and J=0.4J=0.4J=0.4. These values imply a range of energies for the magnon excitations that are in accord with the data from neutron scattering experiments on Pb3Cu3(PO4)4{\mathrm{Pb}}_{3}{\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}{({\mathrm{PO}}_{4})}_{4}Pb3​Cu3​(PO4​)4​ for two excitation modes. The 1/3 plateau closes only at 1/∣J∣=01/|J|=01/∣J∣=0 with J<0J<0J<0.
Abstract Using quantum Monte Carlo, exact diagonalization, and perturbation theory, we study the spectrum of the S = 1/2 antiferromagnetic Heisenberg trimer chain by varying the ratio g = J2/J1 of the intertrimer and intratrimer coupling strengths. The doublet ground states of trimers form effective interacting S = 1/2 degrees of freedom described by a Heisenberg chain. Therefore, the conventional two-spinon continuum of width ∝ J1 when g = 1 evolves into to a similar continuum of width ∝ J2 when g → 0. The intermediate-energy and high-energy modes are termed doublons and quartons which fractionalize with increasing g to form the conventional spinon continuum. In particular, at g ≈ 0.716, the gap between the low-energy spinon branch and the high-energy band with mixed doublons, quartons, and spinons closes. These features should be observable in inelastic neutron scattering experiments if a quasi-one-dimensional quantum magnet with the linear trimer structure and J2 < J1 can be identified. Our results may open a window for exploring the high-energy fractional excitations.
In the present work, we provide a comprehensive numerical investigation of the magnetic properties and phase spectra of three types of spin-1/2 branched chains consisting of one, two and three side spins per unit block with intra-chain interaction and a uniform inter-chain interaction in the presence of an external magnetic field. In a specific magnetic field interval, the low-temperature magnetization of these chains shows a step-like behavior with a pronounced plateau depending on the strength and the type of intra-chain interaction being ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic. We demonstrate that when inter-chain interaction J1 is antiferromagnetic and intra-chain interaction J2 is ferromagnetic, the magnetization of the models manifests a smooth increase without a plateau, which is evidence of the existence of a Luttinger-like spin liquid phase before reaching its saturation value. On the other hand, when J1 is ferromagnetic and J2 is antiferromagnetic, the low-temperature magnetization of the chain with two branches shows an intermediate plateau at one-half of the saturation magnetization that breaks a quantum spin liquid phase into two regions. The magnetization of the chain with three branches exhibits two intermediate plateaus and two regions of a quantum spin liquid. We demonstrate that the chains with more than one side spin illustrate in their ground-state phase diagram a Kosterlitz-Thouless transition from a gapful phase to a gapless spin liquid phase.
Abstract Understanding exotic forms of magnetism in quantum spin systems is an emergent topic of modern condensed matter physics. Quantum dynamics can be described by particle-like carriers of information, known-as quasiparticles that appear from the collective behaviour of the underlying system. Spinon excitations, governing the excitations of quantum spin-systems, have been accurately calculated and precisely verified experimentally for the antiferromagnetic chain model. However, identification and characterization of novel quasiparticles emerging from the topological excitations of the spin system having periodic exchange interactions are yet to be obtained. Here, we report the identification of emergent composite excitations of the novel quasiparticles doublons and quartons in spin-1/2 trimer-chain antiferromagnet Na2Cu3Ge4O12 (having periodic intrachain exchange interactions J1-J1-J2) and its topologically protected quantum 1/3 magnetization-plateau state. The characteristic energies, dispersion relations, and dynamical structure factor of neutron scattering as well as macroscopic quantum 1/3 magnetization-plateau state are in good agreement with the state-of-the-art dynamical density matrix renormalization group calculations.
Critical Phases of the extended isotropic XYXYXY chain with four-spin interaction
Using the Jordan-Wigner transformation we calculate exactly the ground state and low-temperature thermodynamic properties of the spin S=1/2S=1/2S=1/2 isotropic XXXXXX chain with four spin interaction. In terms of the equivalent spinless fermion (SF) representation the system is viewed as a lattice fermion gas with nearest-neighbor (JJJ) and next-next-next-neighbor (J∗/4J^{\ast}/4J∗/4) hopping. It is shown that with the increase of four spin coupling, at Jc∗=4J/3J^{\ast}_{c} = 4J/3Jc∗​=4J/3 the system experiences the Lifshitz type topological phase transition characterized by the tripling of Fermi points. The quantum phase transition (QPT) point marks transition from a gapless spin-liquid phase of standard XXXXXX chain into again a gapless spin-liquid phase with different character of power-low decay of spin correlations. At the transition point the free fermion dispersion relation shows flattering at Fermi points, what determines singular character of density of states ρ(ω)∼(ω/J)−2/3ρ(ω)\sim (ω/J)^{-2/3}ρ(ω)∼(ω/J)−2/3 and as a consequence unconventional temperature dependence of heat capacity of the system C∼(T/J∗)1/3C\sim (T/J^{\ast})^{1/3}C∼(T/J∗)1/3, and singular magnetic susceptibility of the system χ(H)∼(H/J∗)−2/3χ(H)\sim (H/J^{\ast})^{-2/3}χ(H)∼(H/J∗)−2/3. In the case of alternating magnetic field the system is characterized by the rich ground state phase diagram which contains fully polarized (ferromagnetic), gapped antiferromagnetic (AFM) and spin liquid phases. At the transition point from the gapped AFM phase into the gapless polarized spin liquid phase the system shows rapid increase of magnetization m∼(H−Hc)1/6m\sim(H-H_c)^{1/6}m∼(H−Hc​)1/6 and magnetic susceptibility a singular behavior as χ(H)∼(H−Hc)−5/6χ(H)\sim (H-H_c)^{-5/6}χ(H)∼(H−Hc​)−5/6.