Photon-Induced Magnetization Reversal in Single-Molecule Magnets

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that millimeter wave radiation can induce magnetization reversal in single-molecule magnets, revealing potential for quantum computing applications through controlled energy level manipulation.

Contribution

It introduces a method to manipulate energy levels in single-molecule magnets using millimeter wave radiation, with implications for quantum information processing.

Findings

Resonant radiation causes a dip in magnetization

Dip position varies linearly with frequency

Lower bound of 0.17 ns for transverse relaxation time

Abstract

We use millimeter wave radiation to manipulate the populations of the energy levels of a single crystal molecular magnet Fe8. When a continuous wave radiation is in resonance with the transitions from the ground state to the first excited state, the equilibrium magnetization exhibits a dip. The position of this dip varies linearly with the radiation frequency. Our results provide a lower bound of 0.17 ns for transverse relaxation time and suggest the possibility that single-molecule magnets might be utilized for quantum computation.