Visualizing the spin of individual cobalt-phthalocyanine molecules

Low-temperature spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy is employed to study spin transport across single cobalt-phthalocyanine molecules adsorbed on well-characterized magnetic nanoleads. A spin-polarized electronic resonance is identified over the center of the molecule and exploited to spatially resolve stationary spin states. These states reflect two molecular spin orientations and, as established by density functional calculations, originate from a ferromagnetic molecule-lead exchange interaction.