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APS » Journals » Phys. Rev. Lett. » Volume 102 » Issue 15
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Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 157202 (2009) [4 pages]

Quantum Phase Interference and Néel-Vector Tunneling in Antiferromagnetic Molecular Wheels

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O. Waldmann1,*, T. C. Stamatatos2, G. Christou2, H. U. Güdel3, I. Sheikin4, and H. Mutka5
1Physikalisches Institut, Universität Freiburg, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
2Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611-7200, USA
3Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
4Grenoble High Magnetic Field Laboratory, CNRS, BP 166, 38042 Grenoble Cedex 9, France
5Institut Laue-Langevin, 6 Rue Jules Horowitz, BP 156, F-38042 Grenoble Cedex 9, France

Received 15 December 2008; published 13 April 2009

The antiferromagnetic molecular wheel Fe18 of 18 exchange-coupled FeIII ions has been studied by magnetic torque, magnetization, and inelastic neutron scattering. The combined data show that the low-temperature magnetism of Fe18 is very accurately described by the Néel-vector tunneling (NVT) scenario, as unfolded by semiclassical theory. In addition, the magnetic torque as a function of applied field exhibits oscillations that reflect the oscillations in the NVT splitting with field due to quantum phase interference.

© 2009 The American Physical Society

URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.102.157202
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevLett.102.157202
PACS:
75.50.Xx, 33.15.Kr, 71.70.−d, 75.10.Jm

*oliver.waldmann@physik.uni-freiburg.de

 
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