Magnetic relaxation in V15 cluster: Direct spin-phonon transitions

In this article we propose a model of spin-vibronic relaxation in K6[VIV15As6O42(H2O)]·8H2O, the so called V15 cluster exhibiting the unique layered structure. The work is motivated by the recent observation of the Rabi oscillation [1] in this system and aimed to elucidate the nature of the relaxation processes. The model assumes that the spin-phonon coupling arises as a result of modulation of the isotropic and antisymmetric (Dzyaloshinsky–Moriya) exchange interactions in the central triangular layer of vanadium ions by the acoustic lattice vibrations. Within the pseudo-angular momentum representation the selection rules for the direct (one-phonon) transitions between Zeeman levels are derived and a special role of the antisymmetric exchange is underlined. The relaxation times related to one-phonon transitions in different ranges of the field are estimated within the Debye model for the lattice vibrations.