For the paradigmatic frustrated spin-half Heisenberg antiferromagnet on the kagome lattice we performed large-scale numerical investigations of thermodynamic functions by means of the finite-temperature Lanczos method for system sizes of up to $N=42$. We present the dependence of magnetization as well as specific heat on temperature and external field and show in particular that a finite-size scaling of specific heat supports the appearance of a low-temperature shoulder below the major maximum. This seems to be the result of a counterintuitive motion of the density of singlet states towards higher energies. Other interesting features that we discuss are the asymmetric melting of the 1/3 magnetization plateau as well the field dependence of the specific heat that exhibits characteristic features caused by the existence of a flat one-magnon band. By comparison with the unfrustrated square-lattice antiferromagnet the tremendous role of frustration in a wide temperature range is illustrated.

• Received 14 June 2018
• Revised 21 August 2018

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.98.094423