Observation of spin-electric transitions in a molecular exchange qubit

Abstract

Electric fields represent an ideal means for controlling spins at the nanoscale and, more specifically, for manipulating protected degrees of freedom in multispin systems. Here we perform low-temperature magnetic far-IR spectroscopy on a molecular spin triangle (Fe3) and provide the first experimental evidence of spin-electric transitions in polynuclear complexes. The co-presence of electric- and magnetic-dipole transitions, allows us to estimate the spin-electric coupling. Based on spin Hamiltonian simulations of the spectra, we identify the observed transitions and introduce the concept of a generalized exchange qubit. This applies to a wide class of molecular spin triangles, and includes the scalar chirality and the partial spin sum qubits as special cases.