Macroscopic ground-state degeneracy and magnetocaloric effect in the exactly solvable spin-1/2 Ising-Heisenberg double-tetrahedral chain

TL;DR

This paper provides an exact analysis of the ground-state degeneracy and magnetocaloric effect in a spin-1/2 Ising-Heisenberg double-tetrahedral chain, revealing phases with distinct degeneracies and potential cooling applications.

Contribution

It introduces an exact study of the phase diagram and magnetocaloric properties of the model, highlighting the role of macroscopic degeneracy in these phenomena.

Findings

Identification of classical and quantum chiral phases with different degeneracies

Multiple-peak features in specific heat and entropy indicate phase transitions

The model shows significant magnetocaloric effects suitable for cooling applications

Abstract

The ground-state degeneracy and magnetocaloric effect in the spin-$1/2$ Ising-Heisenberg double-tetrahedral chain are exactly investigated. It is demonstrated that the zero-temperature phase diagram involves two classical and two quantum chiral phases with distinct degrees of the macroscopic degeneracy. Different macroscopic degeneracies observed in the latter phases and at individual ground-state phase transitions are confirmed by multiple-peak dependencies of the specific heat and entropy on the magnetic field. The cooling capability of the model is well illustrated by the magnetic-field variations of the isothermal entropy change, temperature isotherms and the magnetic Gr\"uneisen parameter.