Jahn-teller effects in mononuclear Ni(II) and Co(II) complexes

Mononuclear transition-metal complexes can be designed to behave as two-level systems and play the role of classical or quantum bits. The objective of this proposal is to evaluate accurately the spin Hamiltonian parameters of a Co(II) complex that possess the same geometry of a Ni(II) complex but higher symmetry due to the lack of Jahn-Teller distortion. This will enable us to link the degree of distortion to the details of the energy level scheme and to the rohmbic anisotropy which plays an important role in the coherence time.