Berlin 2024 – scientific programme

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O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik

O 11: Focus Session: Spins on Surfaces studied by Atomic Scale Spectroscopies II

O 11.10: Talk

Monday, March 18, 2024, 17:30–17:45, MA 004

Quantum simulator to emulate lower-dimensional molecular structure — •Emil Sierda, Xiaochun Huang, Danis Badrtdinov, Brian Kiraly, Elze Knol, Anna M.H. Krieg, Gerrit C. Groenenboom, Mikhail I. Katsnelson, Malte Rösner, Daniel Wegner, and Alexander A. Khajetoorians — Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

Bottom-up quantum simulators have been developed to quantify the role of various interactions, dimensionality, and structure in creating electronic states of matter. Here, we demonstrated a solid-state quantum simulator emulating molecular orbitals, based solely on positioning individual cesium atoms on an indium antimonide surface. Using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy, combined with ab initio calculations, we showed that artificial atoms could be made from localized states created from patterned cesium rings. These artificial atoms served as building blocks to realize artificial molecular structures with different orbital symmetries. These corresponding molecular orbitals allowed us to simulate two-dimensional structures reminiscent of well-known organic molecules. The platform could further be used to monitor the interplay between atomic structures and the resulting molecular orbital landscape with submolecular precision.

Keywords: Quantum simulator; Artificial atoms; STM atom manipulation