Quantum chiral phases in frustrated easy-plane spin chains

Abstract

The phase diagram of antiferromagnetic spin-S chain with XY-type anisotropy and frustrating next-nearest-neighbor interaction is studied in the limit of large integer S with the help of a field-theoretical approach. It is shown that the existence of gapless and gapped chiral phases found in recent numerical studies [M.Kaburagi et al., J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. vol.68, 3185 (1999), T.Hikihara et al., J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. vol.69, 259 (2000)] is not specific for S=1, but is rather a generic large-S feature. Estimates for the corresponding transition boundaries are obtained, and a sketch of the typical phase diagram is presented. It is also shown that frustration stabilizes the Haldane phase against the variation of the anisotropy.