Is there a nematic phase in the spin-1 bilinear-biquadratic chain?

In plain words

The spin-1 chain with both ordinary and squared spin couplings has a known phase diagram except near its boundary with ferromagnetism. There a spin-nematic phase was proposed, and numerics have not cleanly confirmed or excluded it.

Precise statement

$H = \sum_i [\cos(\theta) S_i . S_{i+1} + \sin(\theta) (S_i . S_{i+1})^2]$, $S = 1$, for $\theta$ just above $-3\pi/4$, next to the ferromagnetic phase. Determine whether the dimerized phase extends all the way to $\theta = -3\pi/4$ with an exponentially small gap, or a gapless or gapped nematic phase intervenes. An answer gives the phase boundary and the dimerization order parameter as $\theta \to -3\pi/4$.

What would settle it

High-precision DMRG or field-theory analysis that resolves the exponentially small gap and dimerization near $\theta = -3\pi/4$.

Status in the literature

Proposed by Chubukov (1991); numerics favor dimerization up to the ferromagnetic boundary but cannot resolve the exponentially small gap.

Revision history

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