title: Magnetic properties and chiral states of a trimetallic uranium complex.
abstract: The magnetic properties of the triangular molecular nanomagnet [UO2L]3 (L = 2-(4-tolyl)-1,3-bis(quinolyl)malondiiminate) have been investigated through electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, high-field magnetization and susceptibility measurements. The experimental findings are well reproduced by a microscopic model including exchange interactions and local crystal fields. These results show that [UO2L]3 is characterized by a non-magnetic ground doublet corresponding to two oppositely twisted chiral arrangements of the uranium moments. The non-axial character of single-ion crystal fields leads to quantum tunneling of the noncollinear magnetization in the presence of a magnetic field applied perpendicularly to the triangle plane.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Fisica e Scienze della Terra, Università di Parma, and Unità CNISM di Parma, Viale G P Usberti 7/A, I-43124 Parma, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Carretta
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Amoretti
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Santini
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mougel
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mazzanti
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gambarelli
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Colineau
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Caciuffo