Probing transverse magnetic anisotropy by electronic transport through a single-molecule magnet

By means of electronic transport, we study the transverse magnetic anisotropy of an individual Fe-4 single-molecule magnet (SMM) embedded in a three-terminal junction. In particular, we determine in situ the transverse anisotropy of the molecule from the pronounced intensity modulations of the linear conductance, which are observed as a function of applied magnetic field. The proposed technique works at temperatures exceeding the energy scale of the tunnel splittings of the SMM. We deduce that the transverse anisotropy for a single Fe-4 molecule captured in a junction is substantially larger than the bulk value.