Quantum phase with spontaneous translational symmetry breaking in an extended diamond chain

Abstract

We report the experimental realization of a spin-1/2 extended diamond chain in a verdazyl-Cu complex, where competing interactions and lattice distortions give rise to exotic quantum phases. The magnetic properties exhibit a zero-field energy gap and 1/2 magnetization plateau, which is explained by a dimer-monomer model. Considering the effective interactions between the monomers, three types of dimer-dimer phases are expected to appear as the ground state, depending on the magnitude of the lattice distortions. By mapping to the nonlinear sigma model, three phases are distinguished topologically, and a symmetry-protected topological phase equivalent to the Haldane phase is identified. Furthermore, a nontrivial magnetization is observed above the 1/2 plateau region, suggesting a gapped dimer phase accompanied by a spontaneous breaking of translational symmetry. The discovery of this rare quantum state has broad implications for strongly correlated systems, topological matter, and quantum information science, where symmetry and topology play crucial roles.