Chirality in spin-1/2 zigzag XY chain: Low-temperature density-matrix renormalization group study

Abstract: We study spin chirality for a spin-1/2 zigzag XY chain at low temperature by applying a low-temperature density-matrix renormalization group technique. We calculate temperature dependence of dynamical and static correlations of the chirality. In a chiral phase, chiral long-range order at zero temperature disappears at finite temperature, consistent with the fact that there is no long-range order at finite temperature in one-dimensional systems with short-range interactions. In a dimer phase next to the chiral phase, we find an enhancement of static chiral correlation as well as spin correlation with increasing temperature. The enhancement corresponds to the increase of spectral weight inside a gap in the dynamical chiral-correlation function. This temperature-induced chiral correlation is a demonstration of the presence of a chiral state in excited states.