Spin gap and string order parameter in the ferromagnetic Spiral Staircase Heisenberg Ladder: a quantum Monte Carlo study

Abstract

We consider a spin-1/2 ladder with a ferromagnetic rung coupling J_\perp and inequivalent chains. This model is obtained by a twist (θ) deformation of the ladder and interpolates between the isotropic ladder (θ=0) and the SU(2) ferromagnetic Kondo necklace model (θ=π). We show that the ground state in the (θ,J_\perp) plane has a finite string order parameter characterising the Haldane phase. Twisting the chain introduces a new energy scale, which we interpret in terms of a Suhl-Nakamura interaction. As a consequence we observe a crossover in the scaling of the spin gap at weak coupling from Δ/J_\| \propto J_\perp/J_\| for θ< θ_c \simeq 8π/9 to Δ/J_\| \propto (J_\perp/J_\|)^2 for θ> θ_c. Those results are obtained on the basis of large scale Quantum Monte Carlo calculations.

4 pages