Phase diagrams of spin-<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:mi>S</mml:mi></mml:math> Kitaev ladders
Yushao Chen, Yin-Chen He, Aaron Szasz
Abstract
We investigate the ground states of spin-$S$ Kitaev ladders using exact analytical solutions (for $S=1/2$), perturbation theory, and the density matrix renormalization group method. We find an even-odd effect: in the case of half-integer $S$, we find phases with spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB) and symmetry-protected topological (SPT) order; for integer $S$, we find SSB and trivial paramagnetic phases. We also study the transitions between the various phases; notably, for half-integer $S$ we find a transition between two distinct SPT orders, and for integer $S$ we find unnecessary first-order phase transitions within a trivial phase.
Topics & Concepts
PhysicsInteger (computer science)Phase transitionPhase diagramSpin (aerodynamics)Order (exchange)Phase (matter)Mathematical physicsRenormalization groupCombinatoricsQuantum mechanicsMathematicsComputer scienceThermodynamicsFinanceEconomicsProgramming languageAdvanced Condensed Matter PhysicsPhysics of Superconductivity and MagnetismQuantum many-body systems