Self-organized patterns of macroscopic quantum tunneling in molecular magnets

TL;DR

This paper investigates how dipole interactions influence quantum tunneling in molecular magnets, revealing self-organized magnetization patterns that could explain observed magnetization steps.

Contribution

It introduces a numerical simulation approach showing self-organized patterns in magnetization due to dipolar interactions during quantum tunneling.

Findings

Formation of self-organized magnetization patterns

Robustness of patterns against disorder

Relevance to magnetization step dynamics

Abstract

We study low temperature resonant spin tunneling in molecular magnets induced by a field sweep with account of dipole-dipole interactions. Numerical simulations uncovered formation of self-organized patterns of the magnetization and of the ensuing dipolar field that provide resonant condition inside a finite volume of the crystal. This effect is robust with respect to disorder and should be relevant to the dynamics of the magnetization steps observed in molecular magnets.