Response of finite spin-S Heisenberg chains to local perturbations

Abstract

We consider the properties of finite isotropic antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chains with S=1/2, 1, 3/2 spins when a weak magnetic field is applied on a few sites, using White's density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) method. For the S=1 chain there exists only one length scale in the system which determines the behavior of the one- and two-point correlation functions both around the local perturbation and near the free boundary. For the critical, half-odd-integer spin cases the exponent of the spin-spin correlation function was found to be $\eta=1$, and the exponent of the decay of the site magnetization around the perturbed site is $x_m =\eta /2 $. Close to a free boundary, however, the behavior is completely different for S=1/2 and $S > 1/2$.