Inelastic Neutron Scattering Study of Mn_12-Acetate

TL;DR

This study uses inelastic neutron scattering to precisely measure magnetic anisotropy parameters in Mn12-Acetate, providing detailed insights into its spin energy levels without magnetic field influence.

Contribution

It presents the first detailed inelastic neutron scattering analysis of Mn12-Acetate, accurately determining anisotropy constants D and A without relying on g-values.

Findings

Determined anisotropy constant D=0.54 K

Measured fourth-order anisotropy coefficient A=1.2x10^-3 K

Resolved transitions within the spin-10 manifold

Abstract

We report zero-field inelastic neutron scattering experiments on a deuterated powder sample of Mn12-Acetate consisting of a large number of nominally identical spin-10 magnetic clusters. Our resolution enables us to see a series of peaks corresponding to transitions between the anisotropy levels within the spin-10 manifold. A fit to the spin Hamiltonian yields an anisotropy constant D=0.54 K and a fourth-order diagonal anisotropy coefficient A = 1.2x10^-3 K. Performed in the absence of a magnetic field, our experiments do not involve the g-values as fitting parameters, thereby yielding particularly reliable values of D and A.