Influence of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya exchange interaction on quantum phase interference of spins

TL;DR

This study investigates how the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya exchange interaction influences quantum phase interference in a Mn12mda wheel single-molecule magnet, revealing the dependence of tunneling phenomena on the DM vector orientation.

Contribution

It demonstrates the role of Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction in modulating quantum phase interference in single-molecule magnets, a novel insight into spin tunneling mechanisms.

Findings

Quantum tunneling rates depend on the transverse magnetic field.

Quantum phase interference varies with the DM vector direction.

DM interaction enables tunneling between different spin multiplets.

Abstract

Magnetization measurements of a Mn12mda wheel single-molecule magnet with a spin ground state of S = 7 show resonant tunneling and quantum phase interference, which are established by studying the tunnel rates as a function of a transverse field applied along the hard magnetization axis. Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) exchange interaction allows the tunneling between different spin multiplets. It is shown that the quantum phase interference of these transitions is strongly dependent on the direction of the DM vector.