  The ground state spin-wave excitations and thermodynamic properties of two
types of ferrimagnetic chains are investigated: the alternating spin-1/2
spin-5/2 chain and a similar chain with a spin-1/2 pendant attached to the
spin-5/2 site. Results for magnetic susceptibility, magnetization and specific
heat are obtained through the finite-temperature Lanczos method with the aim in
describing available experimental data, as well as comparison with theoretical
results from the semiclassical approximation and the low-temperature
susceptibility expansion derived from Takahashi's modified spin-wave theory. In
particular, we study in detail the temperature vs. magnetic field phase diagram
of the spin-1/2 spin-5/2 chain, in which several low-temperature quantum phases
are identified: the Luttinger Liquid phase, the ferrimagnetic plateau and the
fully polarized one, and the respective quantum critical points and crossover
lines.
