Ferromagnetic cluster spin wave theory: Concepts and applications to magnetic molecules

Abstract

Ferromagnetic cluster spin wave theory (FCSWT) provides an exact and concise description of the low-energy excitations from the ferromagnetic ground state in finite magnetic systems, such as bounded magnetic molecules. In particular, this theory is applicable to the description of experimental inelastic neutron scattering (INS) spectra at low temperatures. We provide a detailed conceptual overview of the FCSWT. Additionally, we introduce a pictorial representation of calculated wavefunctions, similar to the usual depiction of vibrational normal modes in molecules. We argue that this representation leads to a better intuitive understanding of the excitations, their symmetry properties, and has links to the energy and wavevector dependence of intensity in the neutron scattering experiments. We apply FCSWT and illustrate the results on a series of examples with available low-temperature INS data, ranging from the Mn10 supertetrahedron, the Mn7 disk to the Mn6 single molecule magnet.