Nonuniversal ordering of spin and charge in stripe phases

We study the interplay of topological excitations in stripe phases: charge dislocations, charge loops, and spin vortices. In two dimensions these defects interact logarithmically on large distances. Using a renormalization-group analysis in the Coulomb-gas representation of these defects, we calculate the phase diagram and the critical properties of the transitions. Depending on the interaction parameters, spin and charge order can disappear at a single transition or in a sequence of two transitions (spin-charge separation). These transitions are nonuniversal with continuously varying critical exponents. We also determine the nature of the points where three phases coexist.