Physics Commons^™

Single-Electron Transport Spectroscopy Studies Of Magnetic Molecules And Nanoparticles, Firoze Haque

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Magnetic nanoparticles and molecules, in particular ferromagnetic noble metal nanoparticles, molecular magnet and single-molecule magnets (SMM), are perfect examples to investigate the role of quantum mechanics at the nanoscale. For example, SMMs are known to reverse their magnetization by quantum tunneling in the absence of thermal excitation and show a number of fundamental quantum mechanical manifestations, such as quantum interference effects. On the other hand, noble metal nanoparticles are found to behave ferromagnetically for diameters below a few nanometers. Some of these manifestations are still intriguing, and novel research approaches are necessary to advance towards a more complete understanding of …