Quantum Phase Transition of S=1/2 Trimerized XXZ Spin Chain in Magnetic Field

Abstract

We study the magnetization plateau at a third of the saturation magnetization of the S=1/2 trimerized XXZ spin chain at T=0. The appearance of the plateau depends on the values of the XXZ anisotropy and the magnitude of the trimerization. This plateauful-plateauless transition is a quantum phase transition of the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless type, which is difficult to precisely detect from the numerical data. To determine the phase boundary line of this transition precisely, we use the level crossing of low-lying excitations obtained from the numerical diagonalization. We also discuss the S=1/2 ferromagnetic-ferromagnetic-antiferromagnetic chain.