Dresden 2026 – scientific programme
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MA: Fachverband Magnetismus
MA 49: Magnetic Imaging, Information Technology, and Sensors
MA 49.8: Talk
Thursday, March 12, 2026, 16:45–17:00, POT/0112
Probing nuclear spin dynamics in a single-atom magnet using Landau-Zener transitions — •Seunghyeok Jang1,4, Valeria Sheina1,3, Luciano Collazo1,3, Georg A. Traeger5, Denis Jankovic1,3, Alexina Ollier1,3, Muskan Sande2,3, Sejong Kahng4, Andreas Heinrich2,3, and Won-jun Jang1,3 — 1Center for Quantum Nanoscience, Institute for Basic Science (IBS) — 2Departure of Physics, Ewha Woman University — 3Ewha Woman University — 4Departure of Physics, Korea University — 5Physik, Georg-August-Universitat Gottingen
Single-atom magnets provide a unique platform to probe quantum dynamics driven by hyperfine interactions. Holmium atoms on MgO thin films constitute a model system with exceptionally long-lived electronic states and well-resolved avoided level crossings, enabling electron-spin inversion via Landau-Zener (LZ) tunneling. Here, using spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy, we perform single-shot measurements of LZ tunneling events on 2-monolayer (ML) MgO at millikelvin temperatures, observing nuclear-spin polarization and resolving a ~10 peV gap at the avoided level crossing. We further measure the nuclear-spin lifetimes on both 2 ML and 3 ML MgO by applying LZ transitions twice in a pump-probe scheme. On 3 ML MgO, the lifetime reaches several hundred seconds, representing an enhancement of roughly two orders of magnitude compared with 2 ML. The exceptionally long nuclear-spin lifetime highlights single Ho atoms on MgO as a promising platform for quantum information processing based on coupled electron-nuclear spin states.
Keywords: Landau-Zener transition; Ho on MgO; Spin-polarized scanning probe microscopy; Nuclear spin lifetime; Single atom magnet