Progress of Theoretical Physics Supplement
Magnetization Process of (S= 3/2,S= 1) Anisotropic Ferrimagnetic Spin Chain
Shun Tonooka, Hiroki Nakano, Koichi Kusakabe, Naoshi Suzuki
Abstract
Magnetization process of ( S = 3/2, S = 1) ferrimagnetic spin chain with single-ion anisotropy D is investigated by numerical diagonalization. The magnetization process has a plateau at 1/5 of the saturation moment in the small D region. We find a quantum phase transition that the plateau once vanishes at a critical D and revives in the large D region. The critical value D c is estimated to be 0.9. In order to clarify the mechanism of this transition, we propose new trial states: a pentamer state in the small D phase and a trimer state in the large D phase. We find that representative ground state is changed from the pentamer state to the trimer one, while D increases across D c. This result suggests that the mechanism of the quantum phase transition is understood as the change of the representative ground state.