Three-Leaf Quantum Interference Clovers in a Trigonal Single-Molecule Magnet

Abstract

The control of spin-orbit coupling (SOC) at the microscopic level has become a major research quest within the magnetism and spintronics communities. Altering the interaction between the spin and orbital degrees of freedom can fundamentally alter the electronic structure of a system, including electronic band inversion, and lead to new states of matter such as topological insulators. Whether based on high SOC lanthanides or transition metal ions, where the crystal field often quenches the orbital angular momentum, single-molecule magnets are an excellent playground for the study of the more fundamental aspects of this interaction and its intrinsic symmetries. This is the case of the molecular magnet reported in this article, where the trigonal symmetry imposed by the spatial arrangement of three constituent manganese ions and the corresponding orientations of their SOC anisotropy tensors result in a fascinating three-fold angular modulation of the quantum tunneling of the magnetization (QTM) rates never before observed, as well as in trigonal quantum interference patterns that mimic the form of a three-leaf clover.

20 pages, 5 figures, plus supplementary information

References in corpus (7)

• Suppression of tunneling by interference in half-integer--spin particles
• Destructive quantum interference in spin tunneling problems
• Symmetry of Magnetic Quantum Tunneling in Single Molecule Magnet Mn12-acetate
• Single-Chain Magnets
• Origin and spectroscopic determination of trigonal anisotropy in a heteronuclear single-molecule magnet
• Asymmetric Berry-Phase Interference Patterns in a Single-Molecule Magnet
• Geometric-phase interference in a Mn_{12} single-molecule magnet with four-fold rotational symmetry

Cited by in corpus (4)

• Extreme field-sensitivity of the magnetic tunneling in Fe-doped Li${}_3$N
• Magic angle effects in a trigonal Mn(III)3 cluster: deconstruction of a single-molecule magnet
• Effects of uniaxial pressure on the quantum tunneling of magnetization in a high-symmetry Mn12 single-molecule magnet
• Direct Spectroscopic Observation of Berry Phase Interference in the Ni${}_4$ Single-Molecule Magnet