Net toroidal magnetic moment in the ground state of a {Dy6}-triethanolamine ring.

A toroidal magnetic moment in the absence of conventional total magnetic moment is observed in a {Dy(6)} ring. The reason for the net toroidal arrangement of the local magnetic moments is the high symmetry of the complex in combination with strong intra-molecular dipolar interactions between Dy ions. The description of single-ion and inter-ion anisotropic magnetic interactions is achieved here for the first time fully ab initio, i.e., without use of phenomenological parameters.