Deconfined quantum criticality with emergent symmetry in the extended Shastry-Sutherland model

Abstract

Motivated by the exotic critical phenomena observed in the Shastry-Sutherland material $\rm SrCu_2(BO_3)_2$ \blue{[Jimenez {\it et al}, Nature {\bf 592}, 370 (2021); Cui {\it et al}, Science {\bf 380}, 1179 (2023)]}, we investigate the ground state nature of the extended Shastry-Sutherland model (SSM) by the state-of-the-art 2D tensor network method. Via large-scale simulations up to $20\times 20$ sites, we identify a continuous phase transition between the plaquette valence-bond solid (PVBS) phase and the antiferromagnetic (AFM) phase accompanied by an emergent O(4) symmetry, which strongly suggests a deconfined quantum critical point (DQCP). Furthermore, we map out the phase diagram of the extended SSM and observe the same type of DQCP phenomena with emergent O(4) symmetry and similar critical exponents along the whole critical line. Our results indicate a compelling scenario for understanding the origin of the proximate DQCP observed in recent experiments.Comment: 5+6 pages; 4+5 figures; 3 table