The spin-1/2 transverse field two-leg Ising ladder with nearest-neighbor exchange and plaquette four-spin interaction $J_4$ is studied analytically and numerically with the density matrix renormalization group approach. The quantum phase diagram in the transverse field $B$ versus $J_4$ plane has been obtained. There are three different phases: a paramagnetic (PM) phase for high values of the transverse field and, for low values of $B$, a ferromagnetic (FM) ordered phase for small $J_4$, and a dimerized-rung (DR) phase for large negative values of $J_4$. All phases are separated by quantum phase transition lines meeting at a multicritical point. The critical lines have been obtained by exploring the entanglement entropy. The results show that along the critical lines the central charge is $c=1/2$, while at the multicritical point one has $c=1$. The scaling dimension of the energy operator is $X_{\epsilon }=1$, in agreement with the universality class of the critical behavior of the quantum Ising chain. An effective field theory for the multicritical point is also discussed. The FM and the DR order parameters have also been computed and we found a region where the FM and the DR phases coexist.

• Received 23 November 2021
• Revised 24 January 2022
• Accepted 25 January 2022

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.105.024430