Local physics of magnetization plateaux in the Shastry-Sutherland model

TL;DR

This paper investigates the local physical mechanisms behind magnetization plateaux in the Shastry-Sutherland model, showing that specific spin patterns satisfying local conditions stabilize these plateaux, aligning with experimental observations.

Contribution

It introduces a hierarchical mean-field approach revealing local commensurability conditions that stabilize magnetization plateaux, emphasizing their local physics nature.

Findings

Plateaux are stabilized by specific spin patterns.

Local commensurability conditions are key to plateau formation.

Results agree with recent NMR experiments on SrCu2(BO3)2.

Abstract

We address the physical mechanism responsible for the emergence of magnetization plateaux in the Shastry-Sutherland model. By using a hierarchical mean-field approach we demonstrate that a plateau is stabilized in a certain {\it spin pattern}, satisfying {\it local} commensurability conditions derived from our formalism. Our results provide evidence in favor of a robust local physics nature of the plateaux states, and are in agreement with recent NMR experiments on $\scbo$.