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Nature 421, 32-33 (2 January 2003) | doi:10.1038/421032a
Condensed-matter physics: Two bodies are better than one
Bernard Barbara
Abstract
Single-molecule magnets can change their spin states through quantum tunnelling. A more complete picture of the interactions occurring in a system of such magnets must include two-body transitions.
To avoid the complexity of the macroscopic world and get at the fundamental mechanisms of nature, physicists prefer to study ensembles of simple, identical objects, such as quantum dots or single molecules. In time, these objects may become the elementary parts that are assembled into functionalized devices: as Richard Feynman said, physical laws do not imply any limitation on our ability to construct and assemble objects at the atomic scale.
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