Particle detection using magnetic avalanches in single-molecule magnet crystals

Physical review. D/Physical review. D. 2026 Open access

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Authors: Bailey Kohn, Hao Chen, R. Mahapatra, Glenn Agnolet, Ivan Borzenets, Philip C. Bunting, Jeffrey Long, Minjie Lu, Tom Melia, Michael Nippe, Lok Pant, Surjeet Rajendran
+2 more Anna Schmautz, Amis Sharma
DOI: 10.1103/r1x8-qc2f
Cited by: 2
References: 44

Abstract

The detection of a single quantum of energy with high efficiency and a low false positive rate is of considerable scientific interest, from serving as single quantum sensors of optical and infrared photons to enabling the direct detection of low-mass dark matter. We confirm our initial experimental demonstration of magnetic avalanches induced by scattering of quanta in single-molecule magnet (SMM) crystals made of Mn 12 acetate, establishing the use of SMMs as particle detectors for the first time. Although the current setup has an energy threshold in the MeV regime, our results motivate the exploration of a wide variety of SMMs whose properties could allow for detection of sub-eV energy depositions.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Chemical and Physical Properties of Materials Magnetism in coordination complexes Quantum optics and atomic interactions

Publication details

Journal / source
Physical review. D/Physical review. D.
Publisher
American Physical Society (APS)
Volume
114
Issue
1
Publication date
22 May 2026
Language
EN