Topological quantum phase transition in bond-alternating spin-1/2 Heisenberg chains

Abstract: We investigate string correlations in an infinite-size spin-1/2 bond-alternating Heisenberg chain. By employing the infinite matrix product state representation with the infinite time evolving block decimation method, a finite string correlation for extremely large lattice distances is directly observed, contrast to an extrapolated extreme value for finite size chains. We find that a topological quantum phase transition occurs between two different phases separated and characterized by two different long-range string orders in the space of bond-alternating interactions. Also, the critical exponent $\beta$ from the long-range string orders is obtained as $\beta=1/12$ and the central charge at the critical point is obtained as $c \simeq 1$, which shows that the topological phase transition belongs to the Gussian universality class. In addition, it is shown that, for the topological quantum phase transition, the phase boundary can be captured by the singular behavior of the von Neumann entropy and the pinch point of the fidelity per site.