Competition between dimerization and vector chirality in the spin-$3/2$ $J_1$-$J_2$ Heisenberg chain with uniaxial single-ion anisotropy

Abstract: The spin-$3/2$ chain is a versatile prototypical platform for the study of competition between different kinds of magnetic orders, with the objective of obtaining a deeper understanding of the corresponding quantum phase transitions. In this work, we investigate the spin-$3/2$ chain with nearest-neighbor $J_1$, next-nearest-neighbor $J_2$, and uniaxial single-ion anisotropy $D$ terms in the absence of a magnetic field. For positive values of $J_2/J_1$ and $D/J_1$, we find seven different phases in a rich phase diagram. Without frustration $J_2=0$, a gapless Luttinger liquid phase remains stable for all $D>0$. As $J_2$ increases, we observe three phases with distinct dimerized valence bond orders, which show an intricate competition with vector chiral order and incommensurate correlations. For large $J_2$, regions of phase coexistence between the dimerized and vector chiral orders emerge. We present large-scale numerical data for the determination of transition lines, order parameters, and the nature of the phase transitions.