American Physical Society, Physical review B, 21(96)
DOI: 10.1103/physrevb.96.214408
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We study the effect of spin-orbit interaction on one-dimensional U(1)-invariant frustrated magnets with dominant critical nematic fluctuations. The spin-orbit coupling explicitly breaks the U(1) symmetry of arbitrary global spin rotations about the high-symmetry axis down to $Z_2$ (invariance under a $π$-rotation). Given that the nematic order parameter is invariant under a $π$-rotation, it is relevant to ask if other discrete symmetries can be spontaneously broken. Here we demonstrate that the spin-orbit coupling induces a bond density wave that spontaneously breaks the translational symmetry and opens a gap in the excitation spectrum.