Single-molecule magnets: towards magnetic data storage

• Applicant: Dr. Konstantin Petukhov
• Subject Area: Experimental Condensed Matter Physics
• Term: Funded in 2009
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 97584852

We will verify whether single-molecule magnets (SMMs) can be potentially useful for magneticdata storage. For this purpose SMMs should fulfill three basic requirements:1) they must have large anisotropy barrier;2) their anisotropy barrier should not be reduced by transverse terms;3) their intrinsic decoherence should not destroy the spin state of an SMM.The following investigations will be employed to check if these requirements are fulfilled:• Magnetization and ESR characterization of Mt6Mc single-molecule magnets.New high-barrier Mt6Mc single-molecule magnet systems exhibit both large ground spin state andhigh anisotropy. We will characterize these systems by finding the blocking temperature, theanisotropy barrier height, as well as the giant spin Hamiltonian parameters.• Study of tunnel-splitting mechanisms in Mt6Mc type and in Fe8 single-molecule magnets.Transverse Hamiltonian terms can reduce the anisotropy barrier of an SMM. We propose a newmethod which will allow us to study the transverse anisotropy of on SMM by use of microwaveresonant absorption.• Probe of intrinsic decoherence mechanisms in single-molecule magnets.By application of pulsed microwaves the spin dynamics will be studied and the decoherencemechanisms in single-molecule magnets will be probed.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants