Topologically nontrivial $1/3$-magnetization plateau state in a spin-1/2 trimer chain

TL;DR

This study uses nuclear magnetic resonance to investigate the spin dynamics and excitation gap in a spin-1/2 trimer chain compound, providing experimental evidence of a topologically nontrivial 1/3-magnetization plateau state related to Haldane physics.

Contribution

First experimental verification of the spin excitation gap in the 1/3-magnetization plateau of a spin-1/2 trimer chain, linking topological Haldane phase to real materials.

Findings

Observation of thermally activated spin relaxation rate indicating a spin gap.

Substitution of Ge with Si reduces the critical field for the plateau.

Confirmation of a gapped spin excitation above 17 T with temperature-dependent behavior.

Abstract

Topologically nontrivial Haldane phase is theoretically proposed to be realized in the 1/3-magnetization ($M$) plateau of spin-1/2 trimer systems. However, the spin excitation gap, typical characteristic of Haldane phase, is not yet experimentally verified. Here, we report the nuclear magnetic resonance investigations into the low-energy spin dynamics in the $S=1/2$ spin-trimer antiferromagnetic chain compound Na$_2$Cu$_3$Ge$_{4-x}$Si$_{x}$O$_{12}$ ($x=0, 0.1\sim1.5$). In the parent compound ($x=0$), the spin-lattice relaxation rate (1/$T_1$) shows significantly different temperature dependence when the external magnetic field is increased above the critical field of $\mu_0$$H_{c}$ = 29 T. The spin excitation gap is evidenced from the thermally activated behavior of $1/T_1(T)$ in the 1/3-$M$ plateau state. By substituting Ge$^{4+}$ with Si$^{4+}$, the critical field for the 1/3-$M$ plateau significantly decreases, e.g. $\mu_0H_{c}=17$ T in $x=1.0$ samples, which results from the suppressed inter-trimer coupling $J_2$. The gapped spin excitation is confirmed again above 17 T, whose size shows temperature-dependent behavior for $\mu_0H\geq25.72$ T. These observations provide further insights into the Haldane physics.