Dresden 2020 – scientific programme

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O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik

O 123: Nanostructured Surfaces and Thin Films III: Dots, Particles, Clusters (joint session O/CPP)

O 123.3: Talk

Friday, March 20, 2020, 11:00–11:15, WIL B321

Thinking inside the box: Quantum corrals as artificial atoms and molecules — •Saoirse Freeney, Jaap Harteveld, Sam Borman, and Ingmar Swart — Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands

The electronic behaviour that underlies the field of chemistry is essentially a result of the confining potential of an atom's nucleus on its electrons. Due to their confinement, the allowed energies that electrons can take in an atom are quantised, and their wavefunctions are well-defined . If we were to create our own potential that confines electrons within, we could emulate real atoms and change their properties at will. In fact, a quantum corral is exactly this. To create one, adsorbates on a metal surface are accurately manipulated with an STM tip to predetermined positions. Much like a particle-in-a-box, the surface state electrons are then confined, exhibiting discrete energy levels analogous to an atom. We can liken the measured wavefunctions to those of s, p, d etc orbitals in an atom. Beyond this, we can pair two quantum corrals together and observe that bonding and antibonding orbitals arise. Here, we use CO molecules to scatter the Cu(111) surface state and investigate the relation of size and shape on the energy and wavefunction, and secondly we tailor the strength of coupling in "molecular" quantum corrals. Several artificial lattices have been made before with the CO/Cu(111) platform. The information presented is useful for designing such lattices.