Experimental realization of Lieb-Mattis plateau in a quantum spin chain

Abstract

We present a mixed spin-(1/2, 5/2) chain composed of a charge-transfer salt (4-Br-$o$-MePy-V)FeCl${}_4$. We observe the entire magnetization curve up to saturation, which exhibits a clear Lieb-Mattis magnetization plateau and subsequent quantum phase transition towards the gapless Luttinger-liquid phase. The observed magnetic behavior is quantitatively explained by a mixed spin-(1/2, 5/2) chain model. The present results demonstrate a quantum many-body effect based on quantum topology and provide a new stage in the search for topological properties in condensed matter physics.