Partial spin reversal in magnetic deflagration

The reversal of spins in a magnetic material as they relax toward equilibrium is accompanied by the release of Zeeman energy, which can lead to accelerated spin relaxation and the formation of a well-defined self-sustained propagating spin-reversal front known as magnetic deflagration. To date, studies of Mn12-acetate single crystals have focused mainly on deflagration in large longitudinal magnetic fields, and they found a fully spin-reversed final state. We report a systematic study of the effect of a transverse magnetic field on magnetic deflagration, and we demonstrate that in small longitudinal fields the final state consists of only partially reversed spins. Further, we measured the front speed as a function of applied magnetic field. The theory of magnetic deflagration, together with a modification that takes into account partial spin reversal, fits the transverse field dependence of the front speed but not its dependence on the longitudinal field. The most significant result of this study is the finding of a partially spin-reversed final state, which is evidence that the spins at the deflagration front are also only partially reversed.