41 research outputs found
Kondo effect of Co adatoms on Ag monolayers on noble metal surfaces
The Kondo temperature of single Co adatoms on monolayers of Ag on Cu
and Au(111) is determined using Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy. of Co on
a single monolayer of Ag on either substrate is essentially the same as that of
Co on a homogenous Ag(111) crystal. This gives strong evidence that the
interaction of surface Kondo impurities with the substrate is very local in
nature. By comparing found for Co on Cu, Ag, and Au (111)-surfaces we
show that the energy scale of the many-electron Kondo state is insensitive to
the properties of surface states and to the energetic position of the projected
bulk band edges.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Quantum Coherence of Image-Potential States
The quantum dynamics of the two-dimensional image-potential states in front
of the Cu(100) surface is measured by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and
spectroscopy (STS). The dispersion relation and the momentum resolved
phase-relaxation time of the first image-potential state are determined from
the quantum interference patterns in the local density of states (LDOS) at step
edges. It is demonstrated that the tip-induced Stark shift does not affect the
motion of the electrons parallel to the surface.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett., 4 pages, 4 figures; corrected typos,
minor change
Kondo temperature of magnetic impurities at surfaces
Based on the experimental observation, that only the close vicinity of a
magnetic impurity at metal surfaces determines its Kondo behaviour, we
introduce a simple model which explains the Kondo temperatures observed for
cobalt adatoms at the (111) and (100) surfaces of Cu, Ag, and Au. Excellent
agreement between the model and scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS)
experiments is demonstrated. The Kondo temperature is shown to depend on the
occupation of the d-level determined by the hybridization between adatom and
substrate with a minimum around single occupancy.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
A Tunable Two-impurity Kondo system in an atomic point contact
Two magnetic atoms, one attached to the tip of a Scanning Tunneling
Microscope (STM) and one adsorbed on a metal surface, each constituting a Kondo
system, have been proposed as one of the simplest conceivable systems
potentially exhibiting quantum critical behaviour. We have succeeded in
implementing this concept experimentally for cobalt dimers clamped between an
STM tip and a gold surface. Control of the tip-sample distance with
sub-picometer resolution allows us to tune the interaction between the two
cobalt atoms with unprecedented precision. Electronic transport measurements on
this two-impurity Kondo system reveal a rich physical scenario which is
governed by a crossover from local Kondo screening to non-local singlet
formation due to antiferromagnetic coupling as a function of separation of the
cobalt atoms.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figure
Magnetoresistance through a single molecule
The use of single molecules to design electronic devices is an extremely
challenging and fundamentally different approach to further downsizing
electronic circuits. Two-terminal molecular devices such as diodes were first
predicted [1] and, more recently, measured experimentally [2]. The addition of
a gate then enabled the study of molecular transistors [3-5]. In general terms,
in order to increase data processing capabilities, one may not only consider
the electron's charge but also its spin [6,7]. This concept has been pioneered
in giant magnetoresistance (GMR) junctions that consist of thin metallic films
[8,9]. Spin transport across molecules, i.e. Molecular Spintronics remains,
however, a challenging endeavor. As an important first step in this field, we
have performed an experimental and theoretical study on spin transport across a
molecular GMR junction consisting of two ferromagnetic electrodes bridged by a
single hydrogen phthalocyanine (H2Pc) molecule. We observe that even though
H2Pc in itself is nonmagnetic, incorporating it into a molecular junction can
enhance the magnetoresistance by one order of magnitude to 52%.Comment: To appear in Nature Nanotechnology. Present version is the first
submission to Nature Nanotechnology, from May 18th, 201
Surface step structure of Ag13OsO6, experimental evidence for Ag13 cluster building blocks
The surface of single crystal Ag13OsO6 has been investigated using
atomic force microscopy. Growth spirals with very large flat terraces,
separated by steps of equal height, have been observed. The measured
step height of similar to6.7 Angstrom corresponds to the diameter of
one Ag-13-icosahedron and identifies the cluster as the key structural
building block