No Arabic abstract
The Q dependence of the inelastic neutron scattering (INS) intensity of transitions within the ground-state spin multiplet of single-molecule magnets (SMMs) is considered. For these transitions, the Q dependence is related to the spin density map in the ground state, which in turn is governed by the Heisenberg exchange interactions in the cluster. This provides the possibility to infer the exchange-coupling constants from the Q dependence of the INS transitions within the spin ground state. The potential of this strategy is explored for the M = +-10 -> +- 9 transition within the S = 10 multiplet of the molecule Mn12 as an example. The Q dependence is calculated for powder as well as single-crystal Mn12 samples for various exchange-coupling situations discussed in the literature. The results are compared to literature data on a powder sample of Mn12 and to measurements on an oriented array of about 500 single-crystals of Mn12. The calculated Q dependence exhibits significant variation with the exchange-coupling constants, in particular for a single-crystal sample, but the experimental findings did not permit an unambiguous determination. However, although challenging, suitable experiments are within the reach of todays instruments.
The low-lying magnetic excitations in the dimer of single-molecule magnets (Mn4)2 are studied by inelastic neutron scattering as a function of hydrostatic pressure. The anisotropy parameters D and B04, which describe each Mn4 subunit, are essentially pressure independent, while the antiferromagnetic exchange coupling J between the two Mn4 subunits strongly depends on pressure, with an increase of 42% at 17 kbar. Additional pressure dependent powder X-ray measurements allow a structural interpretation of the findings.
Cu(pyz)(NO3)2 is a quasi one-dimensional molecular antiferromagnet that exhibits three dimensional long-range magnetic order below TN=110 mK due to the presence of weak inter-chain exchange couplings. Here we compare calculations of the three largest exchange coupling constants in this system using two techniques based on plane-wave basis-set density functional theory: (i) a dimer fragment approach and (ii) an approach using periodic boundary conditions. The calculated values of the large intrachain coupling constant are found to be consistent with experiment, showing the expected level of variation between different techniques and implementations. However, the interchain coupling constants are found to be smaller than the current limits on the resolution of the calculations. This is due to the computational limitations on convergence of absolute energy differences with respect to basis set, which are larger than the inter-chain couplings themselves. Our results imply that errors resulting from such limitations are inherent in the evaluation of small exchange constants in systems of this sort, and that many previously reported results should therefore be treated with caution.
Quantum tunneling of the magnetization is a major obstacle to the use of single-molecule magnets (SMMs) as basic constituents of next-generation storage devices. In this context, phonons are often only considered (perturbatively) as disturbances that promote the spin system to traverse the anisotropy barrier. Here, we demonstrate the ability of phonons to induce a tunnel splitting of the ground doublet which then reduces the required bistability due to Landau-Zener tunneling of the magnetization. Harmful are those phonons that modify the spin Hamiltonian so that its rotational symmetry about the field axis is destroyed. In our calculations we treat spins and phonons on the same footing by performing quantum calculations of a Hamiltonian where the single-anisotropy tensors are coupled to harmonic oscillators.
In this work we study theoretically the coupling of single molecule magnets (SMMs) to a variety of quantum circuits, including microwave resonators with and without constrictions and flux qubits. The main results of this study is that it is possible to achieve strong and ultrastrong coupling regimes between SMM crystals and the superconducting circuit, with strong hints that such a coupling could also be reached for individual molecules close to constrictions. Building on the resulting coupling strengths and the typical coherence times of these molecules (of the order of microseconds), we conclude that SMMs can be used for coherent storage and manipulation of quantum information, either in the context of quantum computing or in quantum simulations. Throughout the work we also discuss in detail the family of molecules that are most suitable for such operations, based not only on the coupling strength, but also on the typical energy gaps and the simplicity with which they can be tuned and oriented. Finally, we also discuss practical advantages of SMMs, such as the possibility to fabricate the SMMs ensembles on the chip through the deposition of small droplets.
It is shown that dipolar and weak superexchange interactions between the spin systems of single-molecule magnets (SMM) play an important role in the relaxation of magnetization. These interactions can reduce or increase resonant tunneling. The one-body tunnel picture of SMMs is not always sufficient to explain the measured tunnel transitions. We propose to improve the picture by including also two-body tunnel transitions such as spin-spin cross-relaxation (SSCR). A Mn4 SMM is used as a model system to study the SSCR which plays also an important role for other SMMs like Mn12 or Fe8. At certain external fields, SSCRs can lead to quantum resonances which can show up in hysteresis loop measurements as well defined steps. A simple model allows us to explain quantitatively all observed transitions. Including three-body transitions or dealing with the many-body problem is beyond the slope of this paper.