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Tracking nuclear motion in single-molecule magnets using femtosecond X-ray absorption spectroscopy

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Julien EngORCiD, Professor Thomas Penfold

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

Abstract

The development of new data storage solutions is crucial for emerging digital technologies. Recently, all-optical magnetic switching has been achieved in dielectrics, proving to be faster than traditional methods. Despite this, single-molecule magnets (SMMs), which are an important class of magnetic materials due to their nanometre size, remain underexplored for ultrafast photomagnetic switching. Herein, we report femtosecond time-resolved K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (TR-XAS) on a Mn(III)-based trinuclear SMM. Exploiting the elemental specificity of XAS, we directly track nuclear dynamics around the metal ions and show that the ultrafast dynamics upon excitation of a crystal-field transition are dominated by a magnetically active Jahn-Teller mode. Our results, supported by simulations, reveal minute bond length changes from 0.01 to 0.05 Å demonstrating the sensitivity of the method. These geometrical changes are discussed in terms of magneto-structural relationships and consequently our results illustrate the importance of TR-XAS for the emerging area of ultrafast molecular magnetism.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Barlow K, Phelps R, Eng J, Katayama T, Sutcliffe E, Coletta M, Brechin E, Penfold TJ, Johansson JO

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Nature Communications

Year: 2024

Volume: 15

Online publication date: 14/05/2024

Acceptance date: 30/04/2024

Date deposited: 14/05/2024

ISSN (electronic): 2041-1723

Publisher: Springer Nature

URL: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-48411-0

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48411-0

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