The ground-state wave function for the spin-1/2 quantum antiferromagnet on a 36-site kagome$iaa— structure is found by numerical diagonalization. Spin-spin correlations and spin gaps indicate that the ground state of this system does not possess magnetic order. The spin-Peierls order is studied using a four-spin correlation function. The short-range structure in this correlation function is found to be consistent with a simple dimer-liquid model. The spin-Peierls order, if it exists, must be quite small.

• Received 2 September 1992

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.47.5459