Vibron-assisted spin excitation in a magnetically anisotropic nickelocene complex
Abstract
The ability to electrically-drive spin excitations in molecules with magnetic anisotropy is key for high-density storage and quantum-information technology. Electrons, however, also tunnel via the vibrational excitations unique to a molecule. The interplay of spin and vibrational excitations offers novel routes to study and, ultimately, electrically manipulate molecular magnetism. Here we use a scanning tunneling microscope to electrically induce spin and vibrational excitations in a single molecule consisting of a nickelocene magnetically coupled to a Ni atom. We evidence a vibron-assisted spin excitation at an energy one order of magnitude higher compared to the usual spin excitations of nickelocene and explain it using first-principles calculations that include electron correlations. Furthermore, we observe that spin excitations can be quenched by modifying the Ni-nickelocene coupling. Our study suggests that nickelocene-based complexes constitute a model playground for exploring the interaction of spin and vibrations in the electron transport through single magnetic molecules.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1906.00660,
title = {Vibron-assisted spin excitation in a magnetically anisotropic nickelocene complex},
author = {N. Bachellier and B. Verlhac and L. Garnier and J. Zaldívar and C. Rubio-Verdú and P. Abufager and M. Ormaza and D. -J. Choi and M. -L. Bocquet and J. I. Pascual and N. Lorente and L. Limot},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1906.00660},
year = {2020}
}