Nonlinear spin excitations in finite Heisenberg chains

In the recent literature, there have been discussions of nonlinear spin excitations in one-dimensional, anisotropic Heisenberg spin chains. These have the character of localized excitations, which emerge from the time-dependent classical equations of motion. We show that for a given frequency, in a finite spin chain one has a hierarchy of nonlinear excitations, whose envelopes have the appearance of a one soliton, two soliton,..., states. Also, we consider the nature of these nonlinear excitations in an applied magnetic field of frequency {ω}, and explore aspects of the transient behavior of the system in response to a time varying external field. {} 1996 The American Physical Society.