Spin nematics in the bilinear-biquadratic S=1 spin chain

Abstract

We report the existence of an extended critical, nondimerized region in the phase diagram of the bilinear-biquadratic spin-one chain. The dominant power law correlations are ferroquadrupolar, i.e. spin nematic in character. Another known critical region is also characterized by dominant quadrupolar correlations, although with a different wave vector. Our results show that spin nematic correlations play an important role in quantum magnets with spin S >= 1 in regions between antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic phases.