We study spin tunneling in a magnetic nanoparticle with biaxial anisotropy that is free to rotate about its anisotropy axis. Exact instanton of the coupled equations of motion is found that connects degenerate classical energy minima. We show that mechanical freedom of the particle renormalizes magnetic anisotropy and increases the tunnel splitting.
Ramsey et al. [Nature Phys. 4, 277-281 (2008)] report the observation of quantum interference associated with tunnelling trajectories between states of different total spin length in a dimeric molecular nanomagnet. They argue that the interference is a consequence of the unique characteristics of a molecular Mn12 wheel, which behaves as a molecular dimer with weak ferromagnetic exchange coupling. We show here that the data published by Ramsey et al. are not consistent and unfortunately mostly wrong. We show further that the Landau-Zener (LZ) formula, which links the tunnel probability with the tunnel splitting, can only be applied in a well-defined experimental region, which lays outside the region accessed by Ramsey and colleagues. Only a lower-limit estimate of the tunnel splitting can be obtained, showing that the observed transition cannot be explained with the dimer model. We also present other shortcomings of the paper questioning the dimer model, and that the alignment of the magnetic field is crucial for observing quantum interference.
We investigate the correlations of magnons inside a nanomagnet and identify a regime of parameters where the magnons become antibunched, i.e., where there is a large probability for occupation of the single-magnon state. This antibunched state is very different from magnons at thermal equilibrium and microwave-driven coherent magnons. We further obtain the steady state analytically and describe the magnon dynamics numerically, and ascertain the stability of such antibunched magnons over a large window of magnetic anisotropy, damping and temperature. This means that the antibunched magnon state is feasible in a wide class of low-damping magnetic nanoparticles. To detect this quantum effect, we propose to transfer the quantum information of magnons to photons by magnon-photon coupling and then measure the correlations of photons to retrieve the magnon correlations. Our findings may provide a promising platform to study quantum-classical transitions and for designing a single magnon source.
We present a complete theory of the spin torque phenomena in a ultrasmall nanomagnet coupled to non-collinear ferromagnetic electrodes through tunnelling junctions. This model system can be described by a simple microscopic model which captures many physical effects characteristic of spintronics: tunneling magneto resistance, intrinsic and transport induced magnetic relaxation, current induced magnetization reversal and spin accumulation. Treating on the same footing the magnetic and transport degrees of freedom, we arrive at a closed equation for the time evolution of the magnetization. This equation is very close to the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation used in spin valves structures. We discuss how the presence of the Coulomb blockade phenomena and the discretization of the one-body spectrum gives some additional features to the current induced spin torque. Depending on the regime, the dynamic induced by the coupling to electrode can be viewed either as a spin torque or as a relaxation process. In addition to the possibility of stabilizing uniform spin precession states, we find that the system is highly hysteretic: up to three different magnetic states can be simultaneously stable in one region of the parameter space (magnetic field and bias voltage).We also discuss how the magneto-resistance can be used to provide additional information on the non-equilibrium peaks present in the nanomagnet spectroscopy experiments.
We present here an exact version of our response (dated April 27) to Wernsdorfers correspondence submitted to Nature Physics on March 31, 2008. After consultation with a referee, Nature Physics chose not publish any part of this exchange. We would therefore like to point out that our original study has now been considered favorably by four separate referees chosen by Nature Physics. Unfortunately, Wernsdorfer subsequently posted two further variations of his correspondence on this archive (arXiv:0804.1246v1 and arXiv:0804.1246v2). We note that aspects of the most recent posting (dated after submission of our response) contradict the version submitted to Nature Physics. However, none of the revisions add weight to Wernsdorfers original correspondence.
The nature of magnetization reversal in an isolated cylindrical nanomagnet has been studied employing time-resolved magnetoresistance measurement. We find that the reversal mode is highly stochastic, occurring either by multimode or single-step switching. Intriguingly, the stochasticity was found to depend on the alignment of the driving magnetic field to the long axis of the nanowires, where predominantly multimode switching gives way to single-step switching behavior as the field direction is rotated from parallel to transverse with respect to the nanowire axis.