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Physical Review Letters

String Order in Half-Integer-Spin Antiferromagnetic Heisenberg Chains

Jizhong Lou, Shaojin Qin, Changfeng Chen

Published Aug 21, 2003• 16 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We derive the extended string order parameter O(S) for antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chains with half-integer spin S in the valence-bond-solid picture. We obtain the analytic power-law scaling of O(S) versus the chain length L and show that O(S) scales at an extremely slow pace that decreases rapidly with growing spin magnitude. Furthermore, accurate numerical calculations show that the power-law scaling sets in only when L exceeds a characteristic length scale l(S) which increases very fast with growing S. Consequently, a pseudo-long-range string order exists in half-integer-spin Heisenberg chains. The implications of this result and its relationship to other topological features such as the end-chain states are discussed.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.91.087204

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We derive the extended string order parameter O(S) for antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chains with half-integer spin S in the valence-bond-solid picture. We obtain the analytic power-law scaling of O(S) versus the chain length L and show that O(S) scales at an extremely slow pace that decreases rapidly with growing spin magnitude. Furthermore, accurate numerical calculations show that the power-law scaling sets in only when L exceeds a characteristic length scale l(S) which increases very fast with growing S. Consequently, a pseudo-long-range string order exists in half-integer-spin Heisenberg chains. The implications of this result and its relationship to other topological features such as the end-chain states are discussed.
We study the ground-state properties of antiferromagnetic ${J}_{1}\text{\ensuremath{-}}{J}_{2}$ chains with half-integer spins ranging from S=32S=\frac{3}{2}S=23​ to S=112S=\frac{11}{2}S=211​ using the density-matrix renormalization group method. We map out the ground-state phase diagrams as a function of J2J1\frac{{J}_{2}}{{J}_{1}}J1​J2​​ containing topological phases with alternating $\frac{2S\ensuremath{-}1}{2}$ and 2S+12\frac{2S+1}{2}22S+1​ valence bonds. We identify these topological phases and their boundaries by calculating the string order parameter, the dimer order parameter, and the spin gap for those $\mathrm{high}\text{\ensuremath{-}}S$ systems in the thermodynamic limit (finite-size scaling). We find that these topological regions narrow down inversely with SSS and converge to a single point at J2J1=14\frac{{J}_{2}}{{J}_{1}}=\frac{1}{4}J1​J2​​=41​ in the classical limit---a critical threshold between commensurate and incommensurate orders. In addition, we extend the discussion of the Majumder-Ghosh state, previously noted only for S=12S=\frac{1}{2}S=21​, and speculate about its possible presence as a ground state in half-integer high-spin systems over a substantial range of J2J1\frac{{J}_{2}}{{J}_{1}}J1​J2​​ values.
The phase-dependent generalized string order introduced by Oshikawa in the VBS (valence bond solid)-type states of the integer spin chain is extended to the spin-1/2 J - J ′ alternating Heisenberg chain with antiferromagnetic J . The numerical diagonalization and the bosonization analysis show that the generalized string order remains finite in the ground state of the present model for -∞< J ′ < J , taking the maximum at J ′ =0. The characteristic feature of the phase dependence of the generalized string order also coincides with that of the spin-1 VBS state. This reconfirms the notion that the Haldane state of the spin-1 chain and the dimerized state of the alternating chain belong to a single phase characterized by the local singlet-type correlation.
We demonstrate the existence of nonlocal topological (string) order in half-integer-spin antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chains on macroscopic scale on the basis of analytical scaling analysis and density matrix renormalization group calculations. Strong numerical evidence leads to a conjecture that chains with S = (2m-1)/2 and m (m = integers) belong to the same topological class defined by the topological angle theta/pi = 1/m that plays a role similar to the fictitious gauge field in the fractional quantum Hall effect.
The manifestations of topological effects in finite antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chains are examined by density-matrix renormalization-group techniques. We find that the difference between integer and half-integer spin chains shows up in ground-state energy per site when the length of the spin chain is longer than \ensuremath{\sim}\ensuremath{\xi}, where $\ensuremath{\xi}\ensuremath{\sim}\mathrm{exp}(\ensuremath{\pi}S)$ is a spin-spin correlation length, for spin magnitudes S up to 5/2.5/2.5/2. For open chains with spin magnitudes S=5/2S=5/2S=5/2 to S=5,S=5,S=5, we verify that end states with fractional spin quantum numbers ${S}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ exist and are visible in the structure of the low-energy excitation spectrum even when the chain length is much smaller than the correlation length \ensuremath{\xi}. The robustness of end states points to the possibility of the existence of general hidden topological order in quantum spin chains with spin magnitudes S> 1.S>~1.S> 1.
We report our results in investigating edge effects of open antiferromagnetic Heisenberg spin chains with spin magnitudes S=1/2,1,3/2,2 using the density-matrix renormalization-group method initiated by White. For integer spin chains, we find that edge states with spin magnitude Sedge{\mathit{S}}_{\mathrm{edge}}Sedge​=S/2 exist, in agreement with the valence-bond-solid model picture. For half-integer spin chains, we find that no edge states exist for the S=1/2 spin chain, but an edge state exists in the S=3/2 spin chain with a Sedge{\mathit{S}}_{\mathrm{edge}}Sedge​=1/2, in agreement with a previous conjecture by Ng. The properties of the edge state in the S=3/2 chain is studied in detail. Strong finite-size effects associated with spin dimerization in half-integer spin chains are also discussed.
Ground state properties of finite anisotropic antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chains are studied for odd half-integer spins S= 1 / 2 , 3 / 2 ... as well as integer spins S=1, 2 .... Finite size scaling analysis of the results clearly distinguishes the half-integer (S= 1 / 2 , 3 / 2 ) from the integer (S=1) spin situation. It gives strong support to a recent conjecture which postulates that the T=0 phase structure is very different in the two cases. According to this idea there exists a new phase between the planar and the antiferromagnetic region, for integer spins only. This phase, which includes the isotropic point, has a finite energy gap and no long range order.