Magneto-optical control of a Mn12 nano-magnet

Abstract

Single-Molecule Magnets (SMMs) are much investigated for the development of high-density information storage systems or the implementation of quantum algorithms for computation. For both applications the control of the magnetic state is paramount. So far only partial success at achieving such an aim has been reported. We show that the magnetization of a regular, i.e. non-photo-sensitive, SMM can be driven between different stable magnetic states by simply using the adequate combination of visible light irradiation and magnetic field conditions.