Macroscopic Quantum Effects in Nanometer-Scale Magnets

• David D. Awschalom

  Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106

• David P. DiVincenzo

  IBM Research Division, Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598

• Joseph F. Smyth

  Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106

Abstract

Quantum tunneling, the passage of a microscopic system from one state to another by way of a classically forbidden path, is theoretically possible in the macroscopic world. One can now make direct observations of such macroscopic quantum tunneling in very small magnetic structures. This is possible because of significant advances both in the ability to obtain magnetic systems of almost any desirable size, shape, and composition and in the development of superconducting instrumentation for the detection of extremely weak magnetic signals. As an example, measurements on magnetic horse spleen ferritin proteins with the predictions of quantum tunneling theory are discussed and shown.

Journal

• Science

  Science 258 (5081), 414-421, 1992-10-16

  American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Keywords

• Multidisciplinary

Details

• CRID: 1362544419525204480
• NII Article ID: 30020546450
• DOI: 10.1126/science.258.5081.414
• ISSN: 10959203
• ISSN: 00368075
• Web Site: https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.258.5081.414
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  • CiNii Articles