On the aromagnetism and anapole moment of anthracene nanocrystals

Abstract

We report the results of the study of orientation of small anthracene crystals (suspended in liquid) by static and oscillating magnetic fields. They contradict the previous claim that magnetic response of such crystals displays aromagnetism associated with the static toroidal (anapole) moments of the aromatic molecule. The existence of strong aromagnetism in anthracene would be a fundamental result of high importance for the understanding of interactions on the molecular and bio-molecular levels. Instead, our observations are fully consistent with conventional diamagnetism of anthracene molecules. © IOP Publishing Ltd and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft.