Issue 13, 2018

Spin states, vibrations and spin relaxation in molecular nanomagnets and spin qubits: a critical perspective

Abstract

Very recently the closely related fields of molecular spin qubits, single ion magnets and single atom magnets have been shaken by unexpected results. We have witnessed a jump in the phase memory times of spin qubits from a few microseconds to almost a millisecond in a vanadium complex, magnetic hysteresis up to 60 K in a dysprosium-based magnetic molecule and magnetic memory up to 30 K in a holmium atom deposited on a surface. With single-molecule magnets being more than two decades old, this rapid improvement in the physical properties is surprising and its explanation deserves urgent attention. The general assumption of focusing uniquely on the energy barrier is clearly insufficient to model magnetic relaxation. Other factors, such as vibrations that couple to spin states, need to be taken into account. In fact, this coupling is currently recognised to be the key factor that accounts for the slow relaxation of magnetisation at higher temperatures. Herein we will present a critical perspective of the recent advances in molecular nanomagnetism towards the goal of integrating spin–phonon interactions into the current computational methodologies of spin relaxation. This presentation will be placed in the context of the well-known models developed in solid state physics, which, as we will explain, are severely limited for molecular systems.

Graphical abstract: Spin states, vibrations and spin relaxation in molecular nanomagnets and spin qubits: a critical perspective

Article information

Article type
Perspective
Submitted
26 12 2017
Accepted
07 3 2018
First published
07 3 2018
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY license

Chem. Sci., 2018,9, 3265-3275

Spin states, vibrations and spin relaxation in molecular nanomagnets and spin qubits: a critical perspective

L. Escalera-Moreno, J. J. Baldoví, A. Gaita-Ariño and E. Coronado, Chem. Sci., 2018, 9, 3265 DOI: 10.1039/C7SC05464E

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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