EAGER: Probing Single-Ion Magnets by Raman and Far-Infrared Spectroscopies

University Of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville TN

Investigators

Abstract

In this project funded by the Chemical Structure, Dynamic & Mechanism B Program of the Chemistry Division, Professor Ziling (Ben) Xue in Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, is developing spectroscopic methods to characterize new classes of metal compounds with interesting magnetic properties. The goal is to understand the magnetic properties of these metal complexes in order to develop them into new materials for high-density data storage and quantum computing. The magnetic metal compounds could have a much larger storage capacity than the current data storage materials with significant energy savings and reduced environmental impacts. The project is interdisciplinary involving inorganic, physical, and materials chemistry. It is particularly suited to the education of researchers at different levels. The project will also offer students opportunities to conduct research at a national laboratory and broaden their educational training. Professor Xue's group is well-positioned to provide the high level of education and training for students underrepresented in science, including first-generation college students from low-income families. Single-ion magnets (SIMs) have been actively studied as they have demonstrated slow magnetic relaxation and quantum tunneling phenomenon. Anisotropy barriers to orientate molecular spins in discrete molecules of SIMs are large enough to display magnetic hysteresis. There have been active research efforts to design/prepare SIMs with large anisotropies and slow relaxations. Large separations between magnetic ground and excited states in SIMs are closely related to the large anisotropies and slow relaxation. It is a challenge to precisely determine the separations between magnetic ground and excited states, when the separations are more than 50 wavenumbers, and to spectroscopically probe magneto-phonon interactions leading to spin-lattice relaxation. This project investigates ways to directly determine magnetic separations more than 50 wavenumbers in SIMs and to probe magneto-phonon interactions. Raman and far-infrared spectroscopies inside magnetic fields are to be used to characterize SIMs, demonstrating that the spectroscopies could be developed into effective methods to probe molecular magnetism.