The Phase Diagram of the Shastry-Sutherland Antiferromagnet

Abstract

The Shastry-Sutherland model, which provides a representation of the magnetic properties of SrCu$_2$(BO$_3$)$_2$, has been studied by series expansion methods at T=0. Our results support the existence of an intermediate phase between the Néel long-range ordered phase and the short-range dimer phase. They provide strong evidence against the existence of helical order in the intermediate phase, and and somewhat less strong evidence against a plaquette-singlet phase. The nature of the intermediate phase thus remains elusive. It appears to be gapless, or nearly so.

RevTeX, 10 figures