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Physical Review Letters

Stern-Gerlach Deflection of Metallic-Cluster Beams

Walter D. Knight, R. Monot, Eberhard Dietz, A. George

Published May 15, 1978• 50 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Supersonic argon beams containing clusters of from 1 to 100 potassium atoms show magnetic deflection patterns with three components: atoms, undeflectable clusters comprising mainly even numbers of atoms, and clusters with odd numbers of atoms. The magnetic moments of the light odd clusters are approximately 1${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\mu}}}_{\mathrm{B}}$.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.40.1324

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Supersonic argon beams containing clusters of from 1 to 100 potassium atoms show magnetic deflection patterns with three components: atoms, undeflectable clusters comprising mainly even numbers of atoms, and clusters with odd numbers of atoms. The magnetic moments of the light odd clusters are approximately 1\ensuremathμB{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\mu}}}_{\mathrm{B}}\ensuremathμB​.
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We report magnetic double deflection experiments on cryogenically cooled Mn@Sn12\mathrm{Mn}@{\mathrm{Sn}}_{12}Mn@Sn12​ clusters. Refocusing efficiencies of up to 90% are achieved by keeping the magnetic-flux density virtually constant between the two Stern-Gerlach magnets. The spin dynamics are probed by introducing magnetic-flux density variations along the molecular-beam path. We apply a microscopic model for the interpretation of our results taking the coupling of electronic spin and rotational degrees of freedom into account. The combination of our experimental and theoretical results reveals unexpected insights into the interplay between rotation and spin dynamics of small metal clusters depending on magnetic-field modulations.
Magnetic properties of DyN{\mathrm{Dy}}_{N}DyN​ clusters in a molecular beam generated with a liquid-helium--cooled nozzle are investigated by Stern-Gerlach experiments. The cluster magnetizations ${\ensuremath{\mu}}_{z}$ are measured as a function of magnetic field (B=0−−1.6(B=0--1.6(B=0−−1.6 T) and cluster size (17< N< 55).(17<~N<~55).(17< N< 55). The most important observation is the saturation of the magnetization ${\ensuremath{\mu}}_{z}(B)$ at large field strengths. The magnetization approaches saturation following the power law $|{\ensuremath{\mu}}_{z}\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\mu}}_{0}|\ensuremath{\sim}1/\sqrt{B},$ where ${\ensuremath{\mu}}_{0}$ denotes the magnetic moment. This gives evidence for adiabatic magnetization.