  The control of spin-orbit coupling (SOC) at the microscopic level has become
a major research quest within the magnetism and spintronics communities.
Altering the interaction between the spin and orbital degrees of freedom can
fundamentally alter the electronic structure of a system, including electronic
band inversion, and lead to new states of matter such as topological
insulators. Whether based on high SOC lanthanides or transition metal ions,
where the crystal field often quenches the orbital angular momentum,
single-molecule magnets are an excellent playground for the study of the more
fundamental aspects of this interaction and its intrinsic symmetries. This is
the case of the molecular magnet reported in this article, where the trigonal
symmetry imposed by the spatial arrangement of three constituent manganese ions
and the corresponding orientations of their SOC anisotropy tensors result in a
fascinating three-fold angular modulation of the quantum tunneling of the
magnetization (QTM) rates never before observed, as well as in trigonal quantum
interference patterns that mimic the form of a three-leaf clover.
