Statistical analysis of spin switching in coupled spin-crossover molecules

TL;DR

This paper investigates the coupled spin switching behavior of two spin-crossover molecules in a nanojunction, using statistical analysis of resistance measurements to reveal interactions and develop a minimal coupled model.

Contribution

It introduces a minimal model for two interacting spin-crossover molecules in a nanojunction based on statistical resistance analysis.

Findings

The two molecules are coupled, affecting their spin state dynamics.

Parameters for the coupled spin model are extracted from experimental data.

Interactions between molecules are evidenced by factorial cumulant analysis.

Abstract

We study the switching behavior of two spin-crossover molecules residing in a nanojunction device consisting of two closely spaced gold electrodes. The spin states are monitored through a real-time measurement of the resistance of the junction. A statistical analysis of the resistance values, the occupation probabilities, and the lifetimes of the respective spin states shows that the two spin-crossover molecules are coupled to each other. We extract the parameters for a minimal model describing the two coupled spin-crossover molecules. Finally, we use the time dependence of factorial cumulants to demonstrate that the measured data indicates the presence of interactions between the two spin-crossover molecules.