Magnetization plateaus of SrCu(2)(BO(3))(2) from a Chern-Simons theory.
The antiferromagnetic Heisenberg model on the frustrated Shastry-Sutherland lattice is studied by a mapping onto spinless fermions carrying one quantum of statistical flux. Using a mean-field approximation these fermions populate the bands of a generalized Hofstadter problem. Their filling leads to the magnetization curve. For SrCu(2)(BO(3))(2) we reproduce plateaus at 1/3 and 1/4 of the saturation moment and predict a new one at 1/2. Gaussian fluctuations of the gauge field are shown to be massive at these plateau values.
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