Tetramerisation of a frustrated spin-1/2 chain

TL;DR

This paper explores a frustrated spin-1/2 chain model with magnetoelastic coupling, revealing a novel tetramerised phase with potential real-world material implications.

Contribution

It introduces a new tetramerised phase in a frustrated spin-1/2 chain model with magnetoelastic effects, expanding understanding of quantum spin-lattice interactions.

Findings

Identification of a tetramerised phase with three bond lengths

Potential relevance to the material LiV$_2$O$_5$

Conditions for phase emergence include high frustration and lattice coupling

Abstract

We investigate a model of a frustrated spin-1/2 Heisenberg chain coupled to adiabatic phonons with a general form of magnetoelastic coupling. For large enough frustration and lattice coupling a new tetramerised phase with three different bond lengths is found. We argue that the zig-zag spin-1/2 chain LiV$_2$O$_5$ might be a good candidate to observe such a phase.