Quantum lattice fluctuations in a frustrated Heisenberg spin-Peierls chain

As a simple model for spin-Peierls systems we study a frustrated Heisenberg chain coupled to optical phonons. In view of the anorganic spin-Peierls compound CuGeO${}_3$ we consider two different mechanisms of spin-phonon coupling. Combining variational concepts in the adiabatic regime and perturbation theory in the antiadiabatic regime we derive effective spin Hamiltonians which cover the dynamical effect of phonons in an approximate way. Ground-state phase diagrams of these models are determined, and the effect of frustration is discussed. Comparing the properties of the ground state and low-lying excitations with exact diagonalization data for the full quantum spin-phonon models, good agreement is found especially in the antiadiabatic regime.