Electric Control of Spin Transitions at the Atomic Scale

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates electric control of spin resonance in single molecules using ESR-STM, revealing bias-dependent shifts that enable potential ultrafast spin manipulation at the atomic scale for quantum computing.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method for electric control of spin transitions at the atomic scale using ESR-STM, highlighting the electric field induced displacement effects.

Findings

Bias voltage causes significant ESR signal shifts.

Electric field induces displacement of the spin system.

Potential for ultrafast control of coupled spins at atomic scale.

Abstract

Electric control of spins has been a longstanding goal in the field of solid state physics due to the potential for increased efficiency in information processing. This efficiency can be optimized by transferring spintronics to the atomic scale. We present electric control of spin resonance transitions in single molecules by employing electron spin resonance scanning tunneling microscopy (ESR-STM). We find strong bias voltage dependent shifts in the ESR signal of about ten times its linewidth, which is due to the electric field induced displacement of the spin system in the tunnel junction. This opens up new avenues for ultrafast control of coupled spin systems, even towards atomic scale quantum computing, and expands on understanding and optimizing spin electric coupling in bulk materials.