Finite-temperature phase transition to $m=1/2$ plateau phase in a S=1/2 XXZ model on Shastry-Sutherland Lattices

Abstract

We study the finite-temperature transition to the $m=1/2$ magnetization plateau in a model of interacting $S=1/2$ spins with longer range interactions and strong exchange anisotropy on the geometrically frustrated Shastry-Sutherland lattice. This model was shown to capture the qualitative features of the field-induced magnetization plateaus in the rare-earth tetraboride, ${\rm TmB_4}$. Our results show that the transition to the plateau state occurs via two successive transitions with the two-dimensional Ising universality class, when the quantum exchange interactions are finite, whereas a single phase transition takes place in the purely Ising limit. To better understand these behaviors, we perform Monte Carlo simulations of the classical generalized four-state chiral clock model and compare the phase diagrams of the two models. Finally, we estimate a parameter set that can explain the magnetization curves observed in ${\rm TmB_4}$. The magnetic properties and critical behavior of the finite-temperature transition to the $m=1/2$ plateau state are also discussed.