Fingerprints of cluster-based Haldane and bound-magnon states in a spin-1 Heisenberg diamond chain

We investigate magnetic and thermodynamic properties of a spin-1 Heisenberg diamond chain in a magnetic field using a combination of analytical and numerical methods including the variational approach, exact diagonalization, density-matrix renormalization group, localized-magnon theory, and quantum Monte Carlo simulations. In the unfrustrated regime, the model exhibits a quantum ferrimagnetic phase that captures key magnetic features of the nickel-based polymeric compound [Ni3(OH)2(C4H2O4)(H2O)4].2H2O such as a at minimum in the temperature dependence of the susceptibility times temperature product and an intermediate one-third magnetization plateau. In the frustrated regime, we uncover a rich variety of unconventional quantum phases including uniform and cluster-based Haldane states, fragmented monomer-dimer phase, and bound-magnon crystals. Analysis of the adiabatic temperature change and magnetic Gruneisen parameter reveals an enhanced magnetocaloric effect near field-induced transitions between these exotic quantum phases. Additionally, we demonstrate that the frustrated spin-1 diamond chain can operate as an efficient working medium of a quantum Stirling engine, which approaches near-optimal efficiency when driven into these unconventional quantum states.