AN EXACT SOLUTION TO A SPIN-1 CHAIN MODEL

We present a new class of exactly solvable spin models. The solutions involve broken translational symmetry, in contrast to the Haldane gap, and constitute a new type of ground state for a spin-one chain. The models have ground states with precipitously short-range spin correlations and exhibit gaps to solitonic spin excitations. We construct a solvable model for each value of the total spin of the underlying atoms, with the solution corresponding to the natural generalization to the Majumdar-Ghosh state, of 'dimer' pairing, to larger spin magnitudes.