Abstract
The Heisenberg chain with alternating site spins (S,σ) = (1, 1/2) defines a realistic prototype model admitting extra isotropic three-body exchange terms which drive the chain into exotic quantum phases. In this paper, we focus on the non-magnetic part of the phase diagram. Based on numerical density-matrix renormalization group and exact-diagonalization calculations, we demonstrate that the nearest-neighbor three-body interaction stabilizes (i) a critical spin liquid phase described by two Gaussian conformal theories as well as (ii) a critical nematic-like phase characterized by dominant quadrupolar S-spin fluctuations. The emergence of these phases reflects some specific features of the three-body terms such as the promotion of local collinear spin configurations and the enhanced tendency towards nearest- neighbor clustering of the spins.
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