Néel and valence-bond crystal phases of frustrated two-dimensional Heisenberg models

Abstract

I use an improved version of the two-step density-matrix renormalization group method to study ground-state properties of the two-dimensional (2D) Heisenberg model on the checkerboard lattice. In this version, the Hamiltonian is projected on a tensor product of two-leg ladders instead of chains. This allows investigations of 2D isotropic models. I show that this method can describe both the magnetically disordered and ordered phases. The ground-state phases of the checkerboard model as ${J}_{2}$ increases are (i) N\'eel with $Q=(\ensuremath{\pi},\ensuremath{\pi})$, (ii) a valence-bond crystal (VBC) of plaquettes, (iii) N\'eel with $Q=(\ensuremath{\pi}∕2,\ensuremath{\pi})$, and (iv) a VBC of crossed dimers. In agreement with previous results, I find that at the isotropic point ${J}_{2}={J}_{1}$, the ground state is made of weakly interacting plaquettes with a large gap $\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\approx}0.67{J}_{1}$ to triplet excitations. The same approach is also applied to the ${J}_{1}\text{\ensuremath{-}}{J}_{2}$ model. There is no evidence of a columnar dimer phase in the highly frustrated regime.