Giant Keplerate molecule Fe30—the first octopole magnet

The multipole expansion technique is applied to one of the largest magnetic molecules, Fe30. The molecule's dipole, toroid and quadrupole magnetic moments are equal to zero (in the absence of magnetic field) so the multipole expansion starts from the octopole moment. Probably, the Fe30 molecule is the most symmetrical magnetic body synthesized so far. The magnetization process is considered theoretically in different geometries. Some components of the octopole moment experience a jump while the magnetization rises linearly up to its saturation value. An elementary octopole moment consisting of four magnetic dipoles is proposed as a hint for designing of an experiment for the measurement of octopole magnetic-moment components.