Former IIAS fellow and member of the "Molecular Electronics" research group, Ferdinand Evers (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology), together with María Camarasa-Gómez and Daniel Hernangómez-Pérez, explores a new way to control magnetism at the molecular level in an important new paper just published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters: "Spin-Orbit Torque in Single-Molecule Junctions from ab Initio".

Imagine being able to control tiny magnets within a single molecule using only an electric field. This is the essence of spin-orbit torque (SOT). Traditionally, magnetic fields have been used to control magnetic moments (the strength and direction of a magnetic field) in materials. However, using advanced computer simulations, Evers and his colleagues have shown that electric fields can achieve this control without any magnets, simply by applying the electric field to tiny molecular junctions.

This breakthrough has big implications for the future of electronics. By manipulating the magnetic properties of single molecules, scientists can create much smaller and more efficient devices. This technology, known as spintronics, could lead to faster and more powerful memory and processors in our computers and other electronic gadgets.

For more details, read the full paper here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/380789456_Spin-Orbit_Torque_in_Single-Molecule_Junctions_from_ab_Initio