Quantum Spin Dynamics in Molecular Magnets

The detailed theoretical understanding of quantum spin dynamics in various molecular magnets is an important step on the roadway to technological applications of these systems. Quantum effects in both ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic molecular clusters are, by now, theoretically well understood. Ferromagnetic molecular clusters allow one to study the interplay of incoherent quantum tunneling and thermally activated transitions between states with different spin orientation. The Berry phase oscillations found in Fe ₈ are signatures of the quantum mechanical interference of different tunneling paths. Antiferromagnetic molecular clusters are promising candidates for the observation of coherent quantum tunneling on the mesoscopic scale. Although challenging, application of molecular magnetic clusters for data storage and quantum data processing are within experimental reach already with present day technology.