  Recent advances in nanoscience have raised interest in the minimum bit size
required for classical information storage, i.e. for bistability with
suppressed quantum tunnelling and energy barriers that exceed ambient
temperatures. In the case of magnetic information storage much attention has
centred on molecular magnets[1] with bits consisting of ~ 100 atoms, magnetic
uniaxial anisotropy energy barriers ~ 50 K, and very slow relaxation at low
temperatures. In this article we draw attention to the remarkable magnetic
properties of some transition metal dimers which have energy barriers
approaching ~ 500 K with only two atoms. The spin dynamics of these ultra small
nanomagnets is strongly affected by a Berry phase which arises from
quasi-degeneracies at the electronic Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital (HOMO)
energy. In a giant spin-approximation, this Berry phase makes the effective
reversal barrier thicker. [1] Gatteschi, D., Sessoli, R. & Villain, J.
Molecular Nanomagnets. (Oxford, New York 2006).
