nn7b07927_si_001.pdf (348.72 kB)
Abrupt Switching of Crystal Fields during Formation of Molecular Contacts
journal contribution
posted on 2018-03-22, 00:00 authored by Jinjie Chen, Hironari Isshiki, Clemens Baretzky, Timofey Balashov, Wulf WulfhekelMagnetic molecules
have the potential to be used as building blocks
for bits in quantum computers. The spin states of the magnetic ion
in the molecule can be represented by the effective spin Hamiltonian
describing the zero field splitting (ZFS) of the magnetic states.
We determined the ZFS of mechanically flexible metal-chelate molecules
(Co, Ni, and Cu as metal ions) adsorbed on Cu2N/Cu(100)
by inelastic tunneling spectroscopy at temperatures down to 30 mK.
When moving the tip toward the molecule, the tunneling current abruptly
jumps to higher values, indicating the sudden deformation of the molecule
bridging the tunneling junction. Hand in hand with the formation of
the contact, an abrupt change of the ZFS occurs. This work also implies
that ZFS expected in mechanical break junctions can drastically deviate
from that of adsorbed molecules probed by other techniques.