Double exchange model for nanoscopic clusters

We solve the double exchange model on nanoscopic clusters exactly, and specifically consider a six-site benzene-like nanocluster. This simple model is an ideal testbed for studying magnetism in nanoclusters and for validating approximations such as the dynamical mean field theory (DMFT). Non-local correlations arise between neighboring localized spins due to the Hund’s rule coupling, favoring a short-range magnetic order of ferro or antiferromagnetic type. For a geometry with more neighboring sites or a sufficiently strong hybridization between leads and the nanocluster, these non-local correlations are less relevant, and DMFT can be applied reliably.