Physica Scripta
Phase diagram of spin-1 quantum Ising-Heisenberg models
Carla Buzano
Abstract
The phase diagram at T = 0 of a family of spin-1 quantum Ising-Heisenberg models is studied using a mean-field approximation. The model Hamiltonian is characterized by single ion anisotropy terms D μ , (μ = x, y, z ) and by two positive parameters η x , η y measuring the degree of anisotropy of the interaction. They allow to describe a variety of models: among them the spin-1 Ising-Blume-Capel model (η x = η y = 0), and the isotropic Heisenberg model (η x = η y = 1). Both dipolar and quadrupolar order parameters are used to derive the phase diagram in the parameter space (η x , η y , D μ ). The resulting phase diagram is rather complex as it exhibits first and second order critical transitions as well as multicritical points.