Magnetization Plateau in the Frustrated Spin Ladder

TL;DR

This paper investigates the magnetization process in a frustrated S=1/2 spin ladder, revealing a magnetization plateau at half saturation due to frustration from next-nearest-neighbor interactions, using exact diagonalization and conformal invariance analysis.

Contribution

It demonstrates the emergence of a magnetization plateau at half saturation in a frustrated spin ladder and provides a phase diagram based on conformal invariance analysis.

Findings

Magnetization plateau appears at half saturation (m=1/2)

Plateau occurs with large next-nearest-neighbor exchange

Phase diagram at m=1/2 constructed

Abstract

The magnetization process of the S=1/2 antiferromagnetic spin ladder at T=0 is studied by the exact diagonalization of finite clusters and size scaling analyses. It is found that a magnetization plateau appears at half the saturation value (m=1/2) in the presence of a sufficiently large next-nearest-neighbor exchange interaction to yield the frustration, when the rung coupling is larger than the leg one. The phase diagram at m=1/2 is given by the analysis based on the conformal invariance. The magnetization curves are also presented in several cases.