Visualisation of Local Charge Densities with Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy

For the past decades, Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) developed from a sidebranch of atomic force microscopy to a widely used standard technique. It allows to measure electrostatic potentials on any type of sample material with an unprecedented spatial resolution. While the technical aspects of the method are well understood, the interpretation of measured data remains object of intense research. This thesis intends to prove an advanced view on how sample systems which are typical for ultrahigh resolution imaging, such as organic molecular submonolayers on metals, can be quantitavily analysed with the differential charge density model. In the first part a brief introduction into the Kelvin probe experiment and atomic force microscopy is given. A short review of the theoretical background of the technique is presented. Following, the differential charge density model is introduced, which is used to further explain the origin of contrast in Kelvin probe force microscopy. Physical effects, which cause the occurence of local differential charge densities, are reviewed for several sample systems that are of interest in high resolution atomic force microscopy. Experimental evidence for these effects is presented in the second part. Atomic force microscopy was used for in situ studies of a variety of sample systems ranging from pristine metal surfaces over monolayer organic adsorbates on metals to ferroelectric substrates both, with and without organic thin film coverage. As the result from these studies, it is shown that the differential charge density model accurately describes the experimentally observed potential contrasts. This implies an inherent disparity of the measurement results between the different Kelvin probe force microscopy techniques; a point which had been overseen so far in the discussion of experimental data. Especially for the case of laterally strong confined differential charge densities, the results show the opportunity as well as the necessity to explain experimental data with a combination of ab initio calculations of the differential charge density and an electrostatic model of the tip-sample interaction

Epitaxial Growth of Pentacene on Alkali Halide Surfaces Studied by Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy

In the field of molecular electronics thin films of molecules adsorbed on insulating surfaces are used as the functional building blocks of electronic devices. A control of the structural and electronic properties of the thin films is required for a reliable operating mode of such devices. Here, noncontact atomic force and Kelvin probe force microscopies have been used to investigate the growth and electronic properties of pentacene on KBr(001) and KCl(001) surfaces. Mainly molecular islands of upright standing pentacene are formed, whereas a new phase of tilted molecules appear near step edges on some KBr samples. Local contact potential differences (LCPD) have been studied with both Kelvin experiments and density-functional theory calculations. Large LCPD are found between the substrate and the differently oriented molecules, which may be explained by a partial charge transfer from the pentacene to the surface. The monitoring of the changes of the pentacene islands during dewetting shows that multilayers build up at the expense of monolayers. Moreover, in the Kelvin images, previously unknown line defects appear, which unveil the epitaxial growth of pentacene crystals.Comment: This document is the unedited author's version of a Submitted Work that was subsequently accepted for publication in ACSNano, copyright American Chemical Society after peer review. To access the final edited and published work see doi belo

Work-related stress and intention to leave among midwives working in Swiss maternity hospitals : a cross-sectional study

Health systems around the globe are struggling to recruit qualified health professionals. Work-related stress plays an important role in why health professionals leave their profession prematurely. However, little is known about midwives' working conditions and intentions to leave their profession, although this knowledge is key to work force retention. Therefore, we aimed to investigate work-related stress among midwives working in Swiss maternity hospitals, as well as differences between midwives and other health professionals and the stressors associated with midwives' intention to leave the profession

Probing Polarization and Dielectric Function of Molecules with Higher Order Harmonics in Scattering-near-field Scanning Optical Microscopy

The idealized system of an atomically flat metallic surface [highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG)] and an organic monolayer (porphyrin) was used to determine whether the dielectric function and associated properties of thin films can be accessed with scanning–near-field scanning optical microscopy (s-NSOM). Here, we demonstrate the use of harmonics up to fourth order and the polarization dependence of incident light to probe dielectric properties on idealized samples of monolayers of organic molecules on atomically smooth substrates. An analytical treatment of light/ sample interaction using the s-NSOM tip was developed in order to quantify the dielectric properties. The theoretical analysis and numerical modeling, as well as experimental data, demonstrate that higher order harmonic scattering can be used to extract the dielectric properties of materials with tens of nanometer spatial resolution. To date, the third harmonic provides the best lateral resolution(~50 nm) and dielectric constant contrast for a porphyrin film on HOPG

Scaling of the conductance distribution near the Anderson transition

The single parameter scaling hypothesis is the foundation of our understanding of the Anderson transition. However, the conductance of a disordered system is a fluctuating quantity which does not obey a one parameter scaling law. It is essential to investigate the scaling of the full conductance distribution to establish the scaling hypothesis. We present a clear cut numerical demonstration that the conductance distribution indeed obeys one parameter scaling near the Anderson transition

Macroscopic Manifestation of Domain-wall Magnetism and Magnetoelectric Effect in a N\'eel-type Skyrmion Host

We report a magnetic state in GaV$_4$Se$_8$ which emerges exclusively in samples with mesoscale polar domains and not in polar mono-domain crystals. Its onset is accompanied with a sharp anomaly in the magnetic susceptibility and the magnetic torque, distinct from other anomalies observed also in polar mono-domain samples upon transitions between the cycloidal, the N\'eel-type skyrmion lattice and the ferromagnetic states. We ascribe this additional transition to the formation of magnetic textures localized at structural domain walls, where the magnetic interactions change stepwise and spin textures with different spiral planes, hosted by neighbouring domains, need to be matched. A clear anomaly in the magneto-current indicates that the domain-wall-confined magnetic states also have strong contributions to the magnetoelectric response. We expect polar domain walls to commonly host such confined magnetic edge states, especially in materials with long wavelength magnetic order

Establishing a persistent interoperability test-bed for European geospatial research

The development of standards for geospatial web services has been spearheaded by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) - a group of over 370 private, public and academic organisations (OGC, 1999-2009). The OGC aims to facilitate interoperability between geospatial technologies through education, standards and other initiatives. The OGC Service Architecture, described in the international standard ISO 19119, offers an abstract specification for web services covering data dissemination, processing, portrayal, workflows and other areas. The development of specifications covering each of these categories of web services has led to a significant number of geospatial data and computational services available on the World Wide Web (the Web). A project1 to establish a persistent geospatial interoperability test-bed (PTB) was commissioned in 2007 by the Association of Geographic Information Laboratories in Europe (AGILE), Commission 5 (Networks) of the European Spatial Data Research (EuroSDR) organisation and the OGC

Antiskyrmions and their electrical footprint in crystalline mesoscale structures of Mn1.4PtSn

Skyrmionic materials hold the potential for future information technologies, such as racetrack memories. Key to that advancement are systems that exhibit high tunability and scalability, with stored information being easy to read and write by means of all-electrical techniques. Topological magnetic excitations such as skyrmions and antiskyrmions, give rise to a characteristic topological Hall effect. However, the electrical detection of antiskyrmions, in both thin films and bulk samples has been challenging to date. Here, we apply magneto-optical microscopy combined with electrical transport to explore the antiskyrmion phase as it emerges in crystalline mesoscale structures of the Heusler magnet Mn1.4PtSn. We reveal the Hall signature of antiskyrmions in line with our theoretical model, comprising anomalous and topological components. We examine its dependence on the vertical device thickness, field orientation, and temperature. Our atomistic simulations and experimental anisotropy studies demonstrate the link between antiskyrmions and a complex magnetism that consists of competing ferromagnetic, antiferromagnetic, and chiral exchange interactions, not captured by micromagnetic simulations