Integrable versus Non-Integrable Spin Chain Impurity Models

Abstract

Recent renormalization group studies of impurities in spin-1/2 chains appear to be inconsistent with Bethe ansatz results for a special integrable model. We study this system in more detail around the integrable point in parameter space and argue that this integrable impurity model corresponds to a non-generic multi-critical point. Using previous results on impurities in half-integer spin chains, a consistent renormalization group flow and phase diagram is proposed.