Localized description of band structure effects on Li atom interaction with graphene

We study theoretically the localized aspects of the interaction between an Li atom and graphene. To this end, we use an ab initio calculation of the Hamiltonian terms within the Anderson model that allows us to take into account the chemical properties of Li and C atoms and the two-dimensional band structure of graphene. In this way, physical magnitudes of interest such as the hybridization function, the adatom spectral density and valence occupation are calculated. We find that the interference between the adatom neighboring sites together with the pronounced energy gap around the Γ point lead to negligible hybridization widths in a wide range of energies and are practically not dependent on the adsorption site. Consequently, this very weak coupling regime makes possible a local magnetic moment formation. Moreover, the strong suppression of the atom level broadening allows for an explanation of the unexpected neutralization measured at low energies in experiments of Li + scattering by a highly oriented pyrolytic graphite surface.Fil: Romero, Marcelo Ariel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnológico para la Industria Química. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnológico para la Industria Química; ArgentinaFil: Iglesias García, Adalberto de Jesús. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnológico para la Industria Química. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnológico para la Industria Química; ArgentinaFil: Goldberg, Edith Catalina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnológico para la Industria Química. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnológico para la Industria Química; Argentin

Collision of protons with carbon atoms of a graphene surface in the presence of adsorbed potassium

In this work we study the frontal collision of protons with the carbon atoms of a graphene surface with a low coverage of adsorbed potassium. It is aimed at the analysis of the effect of the adsorbates in both charge exchange and electron emission processes, when the binary collision occurs between the proton and a carbon atom of the surface. The frontal collision with the K adsorbate, already analyzed and discussed in a previous work, is compared with the frontal collision with different carbon neighbors. In the present work we studied the signals, due to the localized structures in the density matrix of the composed graphene plus potassium surface, that can be distinguished when the collision occurs either with the adsorbate, a nearby carbon atom, or a carbon atom that does not feel the presence of the adsorbate. The interacting system is described by the Anderson Hamiltonian which takes into account the electronic repulsion on the projectile site; the charge fractions, the energy distribution of electrons in the solid, and the electron emission after the collision are calculated by using the nonequilibrium Green-Keldysh functions formalism solved by the equation of motion method. In the binary collision with a carbon atom, the extended features of the band structure of graphene smooth the dependence of the projectile charge fractions on the incoming energy and notably decrease the negative ions formation. The localized structures of the density of matrix caused by the presence of the adsorbate are perceptible for scattered carbon atoms close to K. The intense emission of low energy electrons obtained in the case of the scattering by potassium is fundamentally associated with the very localized K-4s empty band. This characteristic, although less marked, remain in the scattering by nearby carbon atoms, due to both the interaction with K along the projectile trajectory and the perturbed local density of states on the carbon atoms due to the adsorbate presence. In addition, the extended nature of the electronic structure of graphene allows for the emission of more energetic electrons.Fil: Iglesias García, Adalberto de Jesús. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Física del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Física del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Romero, M. A.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Física del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Física del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: García, Evelina Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Física del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Física del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Goldberg, Edith Catalina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Física del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Física del Litoral; Argentin

Hydrogen ion scattering from a potassium impurity adsorbed on graphene

In this work we study the charge exchange process in the scattering of protons by potassium atoms adsorbed on a graphene surface in a low coverage limit. Both, the projected density of states on the alkaline atom site and the final charge states of the hydrogen projectile are calculated by considering the electronic Coulomb repulsion in the s-valence orbital. The inner 3p and 3s states of potassium are included and the local perturbations of the density matrix on the surrounding C atoms are also considered. The interacting systems are described by an Anderson Hamiltonian whose terms are calculated from the chemical properties of the atoms and the extended features of the graphene surface. The positive and negative ion fractions of hydrogen in the collision process are obtained from Keldysh-Green functions, which are calculated by employing the equation of motion method closed up to a second order in the atom-surface coupling term. It is found that the carbon atoms have nopossibility of a direct charge exchange process in a frontal collision of the proton with the K adatom, and that the K-3p band, broadened by the interaction with the graphene surface, provides an important source of electrons for the negative ionization of hydrogen, which is also promoted by the presence of a K-3s core state. The narrow 4s and 3p bands of the adsorbed potassium lead to an oscillatory dependence with the projectile incoming energy, of the probability for the three correlated charge states of hydrogen.Fil: Romero, Marcelo Ariel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Física del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Física del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Iglesias García, Adalberto de Jesús. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Física del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Física del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: García, Evelina Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Física del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Física del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Goldberg, Edith Catalina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Física del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Física del Litoral; Argentin

Localized description of surface energy gap effects in the resonant charge exchange between atoms and surfaces

The resonant charge exchange between atoms and surfaces is described by considering a localized atomistic view of the solid within the Anderson model. The presence of a surface energy gap is treated within a simplified tight-binding model of the solid, and a proper calculation of the Hamiltonian terms based on a LCAO expansion of the solid eigenstates is performed. It is found that interference terms jointly with a surface projected gap maximum at the Γ point and the Fermi level inside it, lead to hybridization widths negligible around the Fermi level. This result can explain experimental observations related to long-lived adsorbate states and anomalous neutral fractions of low energy ions in alkali/Cu(111) systems. © 2011 IOP Publishing Ltd.Fil: Iglesias García, Adalberto de Jesús. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnológico para la Industria Química. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnológico para la Industria Química; ArgentinaFil: García, Evelina Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnológico para la Industria Química. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnológico para la Industria Química; ArgentinaFil: Goldberg, Edith Catalina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnológico para la Industria Química. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnológico para la Industria Química; Argentin