Antiferromagnetic Heisenberg S=5/2 spin chain compound SrMn$_2$V$_2$O$_8$
Large single crystals of the new compound SrMn$_2$V$_2$O$_8$ have been grown by the floating-zone method. This transition-metal based oxide is isostructural to SrNi$_2$V$_2$O$_8$, described by the tetragonal space group $I4_1cd$. Magnetic properties were investigated by means of susceptibility, magnetization, and specific heat measurements. The title compound behaves like a one-dimensional magnetic system above the ordering temperature ($T_N$ = 43 K). The magnetic ground state can be described as a classical long-range ordered antiferromagnet with weak anisotropy.