Spin tunneling and phonon-assisted relaxation in Mn₁₂-acetate

We present a comprehensive theory of the magnetization relaxation in a Mn-12-acetate crystal in the high-temperature regime (T greater than or similar to 1 K), which is based on phonon-assisted spin tunneling induced by quartic magnetic anisotropy and weak transverse magnetic fields. The overall relaxation rate as function of the longitudinal magnetic field is calculated and shown to agree well with experimental data including all resonance peaks measured so far. The Lorentzian shape of the resonances, which we obtain via a generalized master equation that includes spin tunneling, is also in good agreement with recent data. We derive a general formula for the tunnel splitting energy of these resonances. We show that fourth-order diagonal terms in the Hamiltonian lead to satellite peaks. A derivation of the effective linewidth of a resonance peak is given and shown to agree well with experimental data. In addition, previously unknown spin-phonon coupling constants are calculated explicitly. The values obtained for these constants and for the sound velocity are also in good agreement with recent data. We show that the spin relaxation in Mn-12-acetate takes place via several transition paths of comparable weight. These transition paths are expressed in terms of intermediate relaxation times, which are calculated and which can be tested experimentally.