Quantum phase transition in the one-dimensional compass model

Abstract

We introduce a one-dimensional model which interpolates between the Ising model and the quantum compass model with frustrated pseudospin interactions ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{i}^{z}{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{i+1}^{z}$ and ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{i}^{x}{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{i+1}^{x}$, alternating between even and/or odd bonds, and present its exact solution by mapping to quantum Ising models. We show that the nearest-neighbor pseudospin correlations change discontinuously and indicate divergent correlation length at the first-order quantum phase transition. At this transition, one finds the disordered ground state of the compass model with high degeneracy $2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{2}^{N∕2}$ in the limit of $N\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\infty}$.